Persona B: The New Wildcard
by Biffposts
Summary: Forced to move to the Japanese suburbs of Mata, American transfer student Biff Chanum quickly discovers a shadow-filled parallel world known as The Dreamlands which manifests the dreams and cognition of humanity. Armed with the power of persona, it'll fall to Biff and the strength of his bonds to protect Mata from imminent destruction at the hands of an army of shadows.
1. Enter: Biff Chanum

Enter: Biff Chanum

This is a story of a hero. One of infinite potential who would go on to accept a great burden placed upon him. It is a story of one who, when all seemed hopeless, held faith in the strength of his bonds in order to carry on no matter what tribulations he faced. Hope is a fickle thing; it can lead to salvation or ruin depending on how it's placed, but it is this hope that gives us the strength to look towards our future in the darkest of times.

This story takes place in the suburbs of Mata, two years after the events of Persona 5. Alas, as time has passed, the Phantom Thieves have faded in the cognition of the public to the point of a widely known rumor, with the events involving Yaldabaoth forgotten when the world was reborn. Speaking of cognition, humanity has regressed in a way, apathy seizing the masses. It can't be helped, and no one is to blame, it's just a cognitive response to hardship in the world. A persona, if you will. The global change of heart can only be so effective in altering the minds of humanity when painful burden grips the populace in a steely embrace, distorting their perception of life around them.

Mata for the most part functions as housing for people working in the city, as Tokyo is a brief subway ride away. There are several tightly packed neighborhoods that are surrounding a centralized downtown full of shops, entertainment, and the ever-busy Mata Train Station. Beyond those are various farms stretching out as far as the eye can see, creating an atmosphere of isolation despite the bustling locale and Tokyo in the distance. As a whole, Mata could be described as very bland. This is due in part to the box-shaped residential districts that seem to organize people in as plain of rows as possible. The houses are all similar with minimal space between them; the town organizers likely having designed the neighborhoods with the intent to fit as many people as possible to be shipped off to work in the city. Though the downtown of Mata is loud, bright, and bustling, it really isn't anything particularly unique and is largely indistinguishable from the many other suburban shopping districts.

Enter Biff Chanum. Speeding towards the Mata Station is a train carrying the recently delivered child of destiny. Biff Chanum is a fifteen-year-old foreign exchange student from America, transferring in his sophomore year to Makisini High School making him a Japanese second year. A strongly built kid of above average height, Biff has a very distinct look to him. Shoulder length blonde hair rustles as he looks around his surroundings, though it's not cut in a way that detracts from his masculinity, a peculiarity furthered by the vividity of his grass-green eyes. His face is highlighted by his strong jawline and small, slighted features. More than a few Japanese natives have given Biff brief looks of surprise as he passed them, but he didn't notice or care. The chilly Japanese spring air lent Biff to dress in a white dotted grey collared shirt, a brown leather jacket that looks as good as new despite frequent use, and dark blue jeans. He sighs as he closes his eyes and leans back in his seat as a myriad of thoughts rushes through his conflicted mind. He feels as though he should harbor some resentments towards his parents for shipping him off to Japan, but really it's not that bad. Sure it sucks to be taken from all of his friends and the life that he knew, but the prospect of a year in a foreign country is oddly enticing despite the blandness of the rows of white houses his train zips past.

Checking his phone habitually to see no new messages, Biff is briefly disappointed before remembering that there hasn't been any service for the past three hours of train ride from the nearest airport. It's crazy to think that just a day ago Biff was saying goodbye to a couple of friends before taking off for his year abroad. The memory brings him back to the conversation his parents first had with him about the subject.

Biff's father sat at the dinner table, just getting home. Until then it had only been Biff and his mother eating and making small talk, but for some reason, she seemed unusually restless this evening. The kitchen was dark as always, a large room with a circular, wooden table in the center and various appliances and cabinets lining the walls that didn't lead into adjacent rooms.

"Hey there," Biff said fairly absentmindedly before scooping a bite of mashed potatoes into his mouth. He takes his time to finish chewing before finishing his greeting. "How was work." Several moments pass without a response from his dad and Biff looks up, having expected him to say "Good" or something like that. Instead, his father was just looking right at his mother, raising an eyebrow as if to silently ask a question. She shakes her head in response.

Mr. Chanum furrows his brow and turns to Biff. He notices his son's pointed glare and stumbles for a second. "Ah- I… Good. Work was good." There's an awkward pause. "Biff… There's something your mother and I have meant to talk to you about."

Biff laughs good-humouredly, "When you put it like that you've already got me worried, nice job" He pauses for a moment. "What's up?"

"We heard something from a friend of ours about a Japanese foreign exchange program through your school..." Mr. Chanum begins, shuffling briefly in his chair. At just this first sentence though, Biff already is aware of what's to come. His parents had always been the type to enlist him for extracurricular activities and various camps without his previous knowledge but he never expected them to go this far. Biff's face contorts into one of twisted horror as his father continues. "And after discussing it we've decided to enroll you."

"Wh- bu-" Biff is incredulous that his parents would actually do this and is at a lost for words; before he can stammer out an objection his father continues.

"And we think it'll be an incredible experience for you. We just had to snatch up this chance before someone else did, I'm sure you'll understand."

Suddenly Biff is taken from his daydream as the train's brakes screech to a halt, drowning out all other noise. He looks around himself to see other passengers, all native Japanese, standing up. A high school aged girl whispers to a friend standing near her. "Huh, another American. It's not even close to tourist season."

Biff doesn't respond initially, planning to act as if he never heard but changes his mind. Conveniently he speaks fluent Japanese after having picked it up early in school, blissfully unaware that it would lead him here, to him it was just a foreign language that he felt like trying and carried on with it. Nonetheless, he turns around, golden locks bobbing gracefully. "Actually I'm an exchange student, name's Biff Chanum."

The girl blushes, not expecting this foreigner to speak Japanese, most of them don't after all. "I-" She turns to her friend in embarrassment then back to Biff. In response he just smirks briefly before walking out of the now stopped train and stepping into the Mata Station, breathing in the fresh air.

The station is a dreadfully packed locale, with people running to and fro all around to catch their train or to meet friends and family just arriving. Biff briskly walks towards where a bright sign points to the exit, swiveling his head to take in the foreign sights. Seemingly out of nowhere though, he's slammed into by an unknown mass.

"Ah!" Shouts a voice as Biff falls backward onto his rear. "Are you ok, mate?"

Biff groans briefly before turning to his side to meet eyes with his assailant, the attacker having fallen over as well. "Yeah, I'm fine," Biff mutters before pushing himself up. "You?" He asks with an eyebrow raised, looking the boy below him up and down.

It seems to be a student about the same age as Biff, wearing a black peacoat with black chino pants. He has a shrewd look to him, as though he were constantly hiding something or plotting some devious deed. Deftly, as if it were no big deal, this new kid jumped up to his feet from lying down. It was an impressive maneuver, but Biff now turned his attention to the boy's face, as he was clutching a hand over his right eye, glancing about him as if searching for something. "Yeah.. uh...I..." He begins to mutter, distracted by his search. "Ah! There!" Under his left foot was a small piece of cloth. He quickly stoops over and snags it before pulling it over his covered eye. Now letting his hands fall to his side, Biff spies that it's a black leather eyepatch with an 'x' pattern imprinted on the material, but in doing so he really can't help but stare. Breaking the awkward tension and seemingly realizing the point of fixation, the boy touches his eyepatch. "Oh! This, uh, this is my eyepatch." Another awkward pause, Biff doesn't really have much to say on the subject. "But you probably knew that aha... " He sticks a hand out, offering his extended palm to Biff to shake. "My name's Boto, I lost my eye when I was in elementary. You know, just kid stuff haha."

Biff firmly grips his hand and reciprocates the shake. He manages a half-hearted laugh at the awkward joke. "I'm Biff. Biff Chanum. I'm new to town."

"Ooh well then mind me asking, I know you give off a uh…" Boto glances at Biff's golden hair and Western features, "Tourist-y vibe... but are you by any chance transferring to Makisini High?"

"Yeah," Biff says, raising an eyebrow at Boto's mildly racist comment. "I'll assume you are as well?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. Just moved here from some no-name country town." Boto shuffles in place, "Aha, I'm honestly kinda nervous for Thursday. My old town was pretty small so I feel way out of my league, you know?" His eyes go wide and his legs bend slightly, as though he were ready to flee at any moment. "Ah! But why am I telling you this? Um well alright I…" Boto pulls out his phone and checks the time before sliding it back into his coat pocket. "I have to get going. Got plenty of havoc to wreak before the big day. People to see… uh…. Places to go or something like that."

Biff can't help but smile at the awkward mannerisms and poor attempts at jokes. "In that case will I see you at the orientation? Wouldn't hurt to have a friendly face there."

"Oh! No, I can't make it there, but I'll see you at school." Boto at this point has started to walk off, blending into the crowd. "...On Thursday that is!" Biff hears him shout before the mass of people obscures his view; leaving for his destination, Biff smiles slightly and shakes his head at having already met such an odd fellow.

As he continues his trek towards the housing division of Mata, Biff steadily strolls through the shopping district. The central street he walks on is situated between two looming walls of buildings gazing down with their neon eyes that beckon him to enter, illustrious words promising "Japan's best ramen," and many other perfect cliches. Several restaurants and shops pique his interest and he makes a mental note to check them out sometime later, after all, he's got plenty of time to exploit every little detail Mata has to offer.

There's not much farther to go now. Biff takes a right and enters the neighborhood that he'll be calling home from now on. The road he walks along is lined with freshly budding trees, some of which are lovely pink cherries, just blooming with brilliant blossoms. Plenty of people mill about the area, most heading towards the shopping district, a large amount of which appear to be high school students as well, no doubt attempting to squeeze out the last drops of summer with their friends who aren't cramming to finish any work they have in preparation for the new year. Biff can't help but notice that everyone he passes looks undeniably dreary. _Must be the school year blues. I guess every good thing has to end_. He thinks; it's odd, really, no one seems to be laughing or talking in more than a hushed whisper, just shuffling towards their destination, failing to take in their surroundings. Well, it's not that there's much to be appreciated besides the vibrant trees; the monotonous colored houses cause the overlying flora to appear artificial. Suddenly Biff realizes he missed the house he's supposed to stay at. He turns around and carefully reads the addresses until he arrives at number 117. The thing about Mata neighborhoods is that all of the houses effectively look the same, so this one has nothing to make it stand out besides a small, undeveloped garden in the scant front yard. They are all moderately sized beige buildings with white accenting and roof. The second floor of the rectangular homes have small, black metal balconies that stretch forward from a partitioned entrance. Squinting to look, Biff doesn't see any movement within.

He takes a deep breath before approaching the door. Biff hadn't been briefed on what the people he was staying with would be like besides being told there was a mother, father, and a daughter a year under him. The white door looms above him, waiting for him to come and seal his new fate. He stretches his arm out towards it, fist clenched to make his presence known but hesitates, closing his eyes briefly to consider the bizarre turn of events that lead him here. Biff opens his eyes once more and smiles before rapping sternly on the door.

From within he hears sudden movement before a higher voice, that of a woman, calls out. "Hanae, Eiki! He's here!"

There's more movement and the sound of someone rapidly descending stairs. A man's voice responds. "Ah, Oh it's happening. Alright dear, big moment aha… come on now, wait where's Hanae? Oh, nevermind, open the door, he's just standing out there." And with a latch turning and a soft creak, the door swings open, revealing to Biff a middle-aged couple, smiling brightly.

To the right is a woman wearing an apron and a red checkered shirt, her brunette hair tied back in a messy ponytail. She speaks first, "Hello! You must be Biff Chanum." She sticks her hand out to offer a shake to which Biff quickly reciprocates.

The man takes the brief silence to speak his mind as well. "Very nice to meet you Mr. Chanum, sorry Hanae couldn't be down to greet you and… one moment." He takes a step back before shouting in an animated manner, "Hanae! He's here!" The man before him has dark hair combed into a comb-over and large, semi-rimless glasses on. He wears a baby blue dress shirt paired with a navy blue tie, as though he's just gotten home from work. Now regarding Biff again, the father continues his thought, "And uh… oh, wait, come in, please."

Biff happily obliges, walking in and taking a look around. The house is respectably sized on the inside. He's entered into a living room of sorts, with an L shaped couch going along the left wall and partly along a divider wall with an opening that leads to the kitchen. Straight ahead, across from the entrance, is a small hallway that leads to three doorways, one of which opens into a staircase that goes upstairs. The house is decorated modestly with pieces of wall art hung up, interspersing with several well-placed ferns. The color palette is very neutral, comprised of dark greens, beiges, whites, and browns. Some of the art appears to be homemade, with glossy paint creating various landscapes and views that Biff assumes are from around the town on basic, art store canvases. Before he can reflect on the thought more, though, the father speaks up.

"Ah, I'm sure she'll be down… uh… any minute now aha, anyways my name is Eikichi, but feel free to call me Eiki." Eikichi offers his hand to Biff to shake, who once again does so. Pulling away, Eiki puts one hand on his hip and gestures to his wife with the other. "And this here is Asami." As he does so she smiles cheerfully once again and gives a short wave to Biff.

Biff waves back, laughing gently at their awkward, rushed mannerisms. "Well thank you for letting me stay with you for the year, I'll try not to be too burdensome… You're the Riles, right?"

Asami laughs lightheartedly, "Oh it's Ryleigh, but don't worry, people get it wrong all the time. And it's really our pleasure, you seem nice enough so far so I'm sure we'll get along just fine." She pauses for a moment, stealing a quick look at her husband. "Well, we also thought it'd be a good experience for Hanae aha. She doesn't g-"

Interrupting her thought comes a girl from upstairs. Biff finds it safe to assume that this is the Hanae he'd heard so much about. Her hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail, similarly to her mother. Wearing a loose-fitting pink t-shirt and shorts, she obviously has no intent to go outside today. Hanae steps out of the staircase absentmindedly and yawns. "Awright," she says mid-yawn. "I'm rea-" Suddenly she stops, noticing Biff already in the house and goes pale.

"Oh… speak of the devil." Asami blurts out once Hanae enters. "We were just talking to Biff about-"

Beginning to stutter, Hanae interrupts trepidly, "Yeah I- uh… yes… no… hello, I..." She takes a breath to compose herself. "Sorry… I... ha… wasn't expecting that. Um… You guys didn't wait for me?"

Eiki scratches the back of his head, "Well you were taking a while and he was just kinda standing there so… sorry."

There's an awkward silence following that mild tension before Biff speaks up trying to salvage the conversation. "Anyways hello. I'm Biff." He approaches Hanae as he says this, offering his hand for yet another handshake.

"I know." She blurts out, surprising Biff with her abrasiveness, but suddenly she goes pale again and blushes. "O-oh I didn't mean that… I uh… hello." Hanae bows in a manner that is awkwardly formally for the exchange.

Biff can't help but chuckle, his hand lingers, having been unintentionally ignored. He withdraws it smoothly. "No problem, you're fine." As he says so he looks around himself towards Asami and Eikichi. The latter has his arm around Asami, both of them smiling at their daughter's exchange, not paying attention to Biff's recognition.

Eiki steps forward and pats Biff on the shoulder as he walks towards the kitchen. "Well come on you two. Biff, I'm guessing you want to eat and get right to bed, just getting off your flight and all. Plus you've got a busy day tomorrow. Shame you have to get right into things less than a day after you arrive."

Wincing at the comment, Biff remembers that school orientation is tomorrow, then two days after that, the first day. He yawns as he speaks up, "To be honest yeah, I'm exhausted."

From behind him, Asami laughs in that same cheery way. "Well then let's get to dinner first then you can head right to sleep. We prepared a bed for you before you came so don't worry." Biff picks up that she's waiting for him to enter and walks behind Hanae as she quickly shuffles into the kitchen. Near the leftmost wall within is a short, rectangular chabudai table with four cushions placed around it. Biff follows the lead of Eiki and Hanae and sits on one, facing the table. To his right sits Hanae, and to his left is her father. After a brief moment, Asami brings four plates of curry out, placing it at each of the settings.

"You should be honored, Biff," Eikichi says with a smile. "It's not every day we get one of Asami's home cooked meals." He winks at Asami as he says so, and she just blushes in response.

As they eat, Eiki and Asami make small talk with Biff, pleasantly chatting with as Hanae picks away at her meal. They discuss his recent journey and just how different Mata is from his hometown, with Hanae occasionally briefly joining the conversation to give her two cents. Tasting the food, Biff is pleasantly surprised. It's far better than any food from a Japanese restaurant he's had before, probably because, well, it's real Japanese food. As the spice of the curry licks at his tongue, its foreign flavor reminds him of the fact that he's really living in Japan now. It may not be where he'd prefer, but looking around the table, it doesn't seem like it'll be too bad.

"How is it, Biff? I hope it's not too hot, I haven't made curry in a while." Asami says, smiling at Biff.

"Well to be completely honest, this blows my mom's meals out of the water," Biff says with a laugh in response to Asami making a not so subtle attempt to gauge her meal's quality. "Mostly I'd just get takeout or something on my way home from school. Otherwise, my dad was fond of cooking hamburgers occasionally."

Hanae speaks up. "Don't like burgers." But that's all she says, it was barely a complete thought, much less a comment on the subject.

"You… wait what?" Biff prods, confused. "Were you saying you don't like burgers or that I shouldn't like burgers?"

It would appear that Hanae was barely aware of what she had said, as she goes wide-eyed, pausing her playing with the curry. "I… uh don't like burgers…" While that answered Biff's question, she goes on, to his surprise. "Or meat. I'm a vegetarian."

"A vegetarian..." Biff mutters, mildly incredulous, the conviction of a red-blooded, meat-eating American on his tongue.

Suddenly Hanae's demeanor changes and she gets deadly serious. Looking in the direction of Biff, but not directly at him, she speaks, though it doesn't feel as if she's addressing anyone in particular. "Well yes, considering the carbon footprint of the meat industry is so absurdly large I decided to just abstain, it's not like I'm missing out on too much cons-" and then she stops. Catching herself mid-rant she goes bright red and snaps her head back down at her food. "...yeah um…"

Biff's at a loss for words, he hadn't foreseen this at all. "Uh.."

Eiki and Asami both laugh at the display, the latter speaking up first. "Oh don't worry Biff, she's cute, isn't she? Hanae sometimes gets so intense without even realizing..."

Eikichi continues with a sly grin. "I think you two'll get along just fine. Aha, I'd hope so at least, because you'll be roommates for the next year." At that last statement, Biff and Asami go wide-eyed and Hanae nearly chokes on her curry.

On the verge of freaking out, everyone begins speaking at once. Hanae stumbles for words, stammering, "Room- I- wha- you- nev-" before burying her face in her hands.

With a mixture of confusion and accusation, Asami speaks up, "Wait, what? Eiki I thought we were hav-"

Eikichi puts his hands up in surrender, "Ha… uh… just a joke. Not a very funny one at that. He's staying in the guest room. I got it all cleaned out for him." Everyone at the table is now glaring right at Eiki. "And speaking of bed I think it's about time to hit the sack." He stands up. "You're welcome to just leave your plate there, Biff, Asami and I will clean up after dinner. That reminds me: we put your box of luggage you mailed over inside, so don't worry about that. Hanae, could you please show Biff to his room?"

There's a brief moment of silence. Biff glances in Hanae's direction to see she's still bright red from earlier. "Y-yeah ok." She mutters, standing up and beginning to leave the room.

Biff takes this as a sign for him to exit as well. He stands and clasps his hands, facing the couple. "Thanks again for dinner. Night."

Eikichi puts an arm around Asami, who's still giving him a mean look. "Oh, no problem Biff. I won't see you tomorrow because I've got to head to work early but have fun at orientation. I'm sure there'll be plenty of fun and exciting things at your new school."

"Yeah…" Biff starts to say before realizing that Hanae's leaving the room. He turns around and follows her just as she disappears through the doorway. While exiting he starts to hear Asami berating Eiki for his comment earlier.

Catching up to her, Biff follows in close pursuit as she walks down the short hallway past the stairs, taking a right just past them into a small room. Hanae steps to the side as she enters, allowing Biff to pass by. Looking around, there's a plain bed with white sheets along the far wall with a window above it that peers out into the miniscule side yard, mostly just granting a view of the adjacent house. On the left wall there's a dresser and a desk side by side, together taking up about most of the wall space. Opposite it is a metal bookshelf adjacent to the bed. The walls are painted a dark green, similarly to the living room.

As Biff takes in his new quarters, he eventually turns back to Hanae who is currently still standing near the doorway. He notices that her face is still red from dinner, and upon locking eyes becomes even brighter so. She speaks out, suddenly and quickly, "I'm sorry. I don't hate you."

Biff raises an eyebrow. "Huh?"

She fidgets slightly, holding both of her hands behind her. "A-at dinner when I panicked. Um… I hope you didn't think I was afraid of being around you... I just… I don't know I-"

Biff stops her there. He gets what she's saying. "Don't sweat it. That was really weird for everyone involved."

"Ha… yeah. My dad sometimes gets that way… ha," Hanae smiles in a somewhat sad way as she says this, looking greatly relieved. "Uh well I'll see you tomorrow, then…" And that being said dashes out of the room, leaving Biff to hear her feet pounding as she runs up the stairs to the second floor.

After that exchange, our ever brave hero smiles and laughs to himself. Biff approaches the box with his clothes and necessities within, changing into a more appropriate sleeping outfit. He sits on the edge of the bed, thinking through the events that led him here once more. Somehow he still finds his circumstances unbelievable, but there's no sense dwelling on how badly the odds are against him. He lies down, head resting on the pristine pillow. From here on out, things could be either hectic and unpredictable or banal like most school years. Either way, he looks forward to seeing what happens. Thoughts such as these fill his mind, slowly fading to a grey as he feels his eyes slipping closed.

Biff's eyes snap open. Something's wrong. He remembers drifting to sleep but now finds himself seated on the ground. In front of him lies an unimaginably dark forest, with only the nearest trees visible. He looks up, noticing that the trees stretch seemingly endlessly into the sky, their tops obscured by the darkness. As his senses adjust the details refine, and Biff sees shadows dancing in front of him, cast across the trees and flickering wildly. An encapsulating warmth also heats his back, slowly growing in intensity as he sits there. Stimulated by this realization, Biff turns around slowly only to face a bonfire. The flame, stretching about as tall his himself, sits in the center of a large circular area marked off by blue stonework. In the same moment he notices something else. Two figures, both made silhouettes by the fire, stand ever still as they face him. One assumes a sitting position in front of a circular table, while the other stands nearby.

As his senses adjust, he sees the situation before him in better detail. The entirety of the ground all around him is a deep blue, and the firepit is decorated with a giant, golden 'V' right in the middle. At the table sits a wiry, elderly man with sunken eyes and an inhumanly long nose. Standing next to him is a woman, evidently a teenager with hair done in a long braid stretching down to the ground, its color somewhere between grey and blonde. She dresses in blue, formal attire like some sort of otherworldly flight attendant, and piercing through the dimly lit surroundings her glowing yellow eyes stand out to Biff in great measure.

The man speaks up in a creaky yet wisened voice, tinged with a sort of gleeful tone. He stares directly at Biff, finally breaking what felt like an eternal silence. "Welcome… to the Velvet Room." As he says so, he stretches a hand forward, beckoning Biff closer. Biff approaches gingerly, still unsure exactly what's happening. He would assume this is a dream except that the whole experience feels so real despite the surreal atmosphere. "It would appear we have yet another guest, and my, my, what an interesting one at that." The man looks around himself then back at Biff. "My name is Igor, and I am truly delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." Igor raises his left hand, gesturing at the woman standing to his side. "This is my assistant, Safie, she is a resident of this place as well."

Biff opens his mouth as if to speak but really can't think of anything to say so he figures it may best to just see where this goes.

Following Igor's lead, Safie addresses Biff. She places a hand on her heart as she speaks. "I am Safie, welcome. I will aid you in the coming times."

Igor smiles in a startlingly creepy manner. "This room reflects the state of your heart; a fire shining through the pitch blackness that surrounds you, staving off the dark." Igor folds his hands in front of him, resting them on the table, appearing to be gathering his thoughts. His voice becomes gravely serious, changing from his kindly, almost goofy tone from before. "It would appear that circumstance is leading you to a remarkable fate. The future will most certainly be filled with much tribulation, but if I can offer any advice it would be to always hold out hope, no matter how bleak it may appear. Our intent is to aid you on this journey and to hone your potential so as to allow you to fulfill your destiny. Only those bound by a contract may enter, and I assume in the coming time you will enter into such a covenant. When this happens I will summon you back. Time runs out though, and a new morning dawns. I look forward to our meeting again, only then I will be able to explain our role in supporting your development; in feeding the fire of your heart. Until we meet again, I bid you farewell."

Before he could even get a word in, Biff is once again opening his eyes, except now he's back in the bed he fell asleep in. It's an absurd experience to seemingly transport between worlds in such a hypnagogic manner, and his hands shoot to his sides, desperately gripping the sheets in an attempt to verify that he's really here.

As he spazzes out on the bed, Hanae pushes the door open, rubbing her eyes. "Um… Biff it's almo-" She stops, noticing his display. "I uh... p-probably should have knocked... And um" she spins around mid-sentence and dashes out.

Biff pushes the bedsheets off and sits on the edge of his bed, sticking his head in his hands. That dream, or, whatever it was plays back through his mind. It's as vivid as if it were a memory, so it doesn't feel like a dream. Everything felt so real, but the scenery was so out of this world. "What the hell…" He mutters, still trying to make sense what happened. "Maybe it was one of those prophecies... Like a vision of the future… heh." His attempt at a joke for himself falls flat as it just makes him more worried considering what that man, Igor, said. His words play back through his mind: "The future will certainly be filled with much tribulation." Biff grimaces as he remembers, sliding off the bed to get dressed for the day. The smell of curry wafts into his room from the rest of the house. "Well, it's a big day today, I can think about all that later; now it's time to eat." With that said, he exits into the living room, turning into the kitchen.

Asami hears him enter and turns, previously having been busy at the stove top. "Good morning, Biff. Eiki isn't here, already left for work. Is leftover curry fine for you?"

"Hey," Biff says, looking around the room. "Yeah, curry's great." He notices Hanae sitting at the table, staring deeply at a bowl of curry and rice. She hasn't really noticed Biff due to being lost in thought, so he decides to make himself known. "Morning," He says as he sits directly across from her.

Hanae's eyes go wide and she blushes slightly. "Ah! H-hi," but trails off in saying even that. Biff isn't really sure how to continue from there, so just sits for a brief moment as Asami brings his breakfast over.

"Thanks," he says, looking up at her to which Asami just smiles kindly. Biff takes a bite of the curry, still as good as he remembers it. He looks at Hanae again, noticing that she's still dressed in sleeping clothes. Considering there's a school event, Biff wonders why she isn't prepared to go so he decides to ask about it. "Hey Hanae, wh-"

Barely giving him a second to speak, Hanae suddenly snaps her head up towards him, speaking quickly in a near-desperate tone, "I'm sorry I entered your room without knocking."

Biff's caught off guard, mouth wide. He pauses for a moment before responding with a wave of his hand. "Oh, I don't care. You're fine."

"R-really?" For some reason, Hanae appears to be shocked at Biff's carefree response. She's silent for a moment, mulling it over. "Um, you were kinda freaking out this morning… are you ok?"

He forgot that she saw him panic earlier. Biff chooses his words carefully, as the truth would probably seem crazy. "Yeah… just a nightmare…" There's another silence before Biff continues. "Well anyways, why aren't you dressed to go out? Don't we have orientation today?"

Asami speaks up from the kitchen, responding to Biff, evidently having been listening. "Oh, it's only for new students, Biff. Speaking of that, it's about time for you to go; you may want to hurry up."

Biff looks over at a clock suspended behind Hanae. It's 8:30 and the orientation starts at 9:00. "Oh! Thanks, Mrs. Ryleigh," He begins rapidly eating his breakfast to make it to school on time.

"My pleasure, and call me Asami," She says with a gentle smile despite Biff having his back to her.

After eating and getting ready to go, Biff stands in front of the door out of the house, Asami behind him. "Now, you know how to get to the school, right?" She asks, concerned in a motherly way. "The orientation takes most of the day, so they recommended to bring lunch from home." As she says this, Asami hands him a boxed lunch.

He slips it into his tote bag. Biff would have rather worn a backpack but apparently Makisini High has a rule against them for some reason, forcing the students to use the school bags instead. "I looked over a map on my way here." Biff points the direction away from the shopping district. "It's that way, up on a hill. Hard to miss."

"Exactly, now get going or you'll be late, aha," Asami says with a giggle, shoeing Biff out.

He steps into the front lawn, seeing a couple of prospective high schoolers making the same trek that he is, a few accompanied by parents. The walk to his school takes only a few minutes, and the building it almost appears menacing as he approaches. Makisini is built on a small hill, the road to which is lined with cherry blossom trees, blossoming with a vibrant pink. Plenty of parents are standing about with their future students, forcing them to pose for pictures in front of the path. The building itself is three stories tall, rectangular from the front, and surrounded by an eight-foot-tall wall. Aside from the construction comparable to a fortress, the building itself is nothing spectacular. The map Biff had read earlier stated that there's a practice building and attached gym behind the towering main campus along with fields for various sports sitting further behind it on the more level ground.

Biff treks up the hill and approaches the open main gate, walking through a small courtyard into the main building. Inside, the school is fairly basic, sticking to a color scheme of greys, whites, and browns. Rows of shoe lockers surround Biff, beyond which an assortment of parents and students stand milling about, some talking, some just looking awkward, all seemingly waiting for something. A hallway stretches in both directions, leading to classrooms and a turn that would take one around the rectangular campus most likely to more classrooms.

Across the hall from the entrance is a woman sitting behind a glass window, greeting new entrees. "Hello!" She says, seeing Biff. "Over here!" He approaches the woman, a faculty member seemingly in her mid-twenties, acting surprisingly spry for someone working in a school at the beginning of the year. "Aaaaand what's your name?" She asks as she flips through papers once Biff stands before her.

"Biff Chanum," He says, looking around him once more.

After a minute more of flipping, she pulls out a paper and hands it to him. "Here you go, that has your schedule on it for the year, the tour schedule, what group you're in, and any other info you might need. The tour'll be starting soon so just make yourself comfortable until then, mkay?"

Biff walks away as she greets the next student. He decides to stand over in a less populated area of the entry hall as the thoughts of last night fill his mind once more. His back rests against the wall, turning the whole situation over as he tries to make sense of it when suddenly he's snapped out of his thought.

"Hey there," Says a voice from his left. "I'm Hideo Kotchi." Biff turns his head to see a boy about his age standing next to him, back to the wall. He's stuck his hand out towards Biff to which Biff raises an eyebrow, slightly dazed from being pulled from his contemplation. The boy looks slightly sad at being denied, his hand drooping. "O-oh not much for small talk aha. Um…"

Biff stands straight and shakes Hideo's hand. "Biff Chanum, sorry, I was just… thinking." Biff looks this new figure over. Hideo wears a red Hawaiian style t-shirt with blue floral print underneath a semi-zipped blue sweater along with khaki slacks. Otherwise, he's a tall (approximately the same height as Biff), slender figure with light brown hair done slightly quiffed in a wave fashion, obviously quite deliberately. His mannerisms can best be described as goofy, awkward, and mildly feminine.

Quite relieved from being saved from such an awkward situation, Hideo laughs, smiling with a goofy grin. "Yeah, you looked real serious there." He runs his hand through his hair. "So uh… you look awfully touristy. You a transfer student?"

Biff relaxes once more, giving a cocky smile. "What? Is it that obvious? Yeah, fresh from America."

Hideo grimaces jokingly. "Ew. Well I'm a transfer too, just like from elsewhere in Japan."

"Let me guess. Parents made you move?" Biff says with a chuckle, able to fully relate.

"Heh, yeah. Dad got a new job" He rolls his eyes. "So that really, really sucks." Hideo pauses. "Oh but I shouldn't be complaining aha. Mata sure is uh… pretty? At least some of it."

That being said, a loud, somewhat nasally male voice speaks up from the center of the entrance hall. "Hello, can I have everyone's attention please." There's a moment of silence as everyone in the room stops their chatting and turns to the speaker. It's a student, seemingly a senior, with combed over, jet black hair, a slightly wirier than average frame, and rectangular glasses. He seemingly personifies the classic high school over-achiever. "Hello, yes, I am Akito, the third year class president and," He gestures to a girl standing to his left. "This is Miho, second-year class president." Biff goes wide-eyed upon seeing her. Miho's a woman of average height and build as well as of incredible looks. She has a face that's both gentle and serious with pastel pink hair that stretches down slightly in front with thin side bangs and a long ponytail behind. (Author's note: Despite the pink color, her hair is not dyed. Considering this is persona-anime world, absurd hair colors are allowed. Also pink is this character's primary color so it's necessary.) Biff glances to Hideo who's transfixed, jaw open. The girl turns to the two boys briefly and gives a knowing smile before turning back to the small crowd of people that had gathered in front of the two representatives. Akito continues. "The school wanted us to be guiding the tour, so we'll be leading you around the school. Side note before we begin: Due to… ah…" He flips through some papers on a clipboard he's holding before reading off it, "Technical difficulties, the practice building and attached gym are closed, so that part of the tour won't be happening. Instead, we'll just have the information sessions in the classrooms at the end. Now we're running short on time so if you could divide into your tour groups we can get started. I'll be taking group A to the upper floors and group B will start here first. They were supposed to hit the other building as well but… ah, it'll work out, nevermind."

The presidents begin to take their designated groups out, Akito heading up one of the flights of stairs that brace both sides of the greeting window that evidently also contains the faculty office. Miho begins to take her group down the leftmost hallway. Before Biff and Hideo bring themselves to move, though, the latter speaks first. "Dude."

Biff shakes his head, knowing exactly what Hideo's getting at. "I know, right?" As fate would allow, the duo is together in group B with Miho, a coincidence they're more than happy to have happen; a coincidence that would nearly lead to ruin.

Miho walks along the hall, narrating their trip all along and talking to the guests at the front of the group of about twenty or so. "Now this hall is mostly for the first years. Here we have class 1-A, 1-B, and so on. While most of these rooms are only classes, some of them hold things like the student council or the clubs that won't be able to meet in the practice building." The tour continues on, rounding a corner that leads to the back side of the building. The entire back side of the school is covered in windows that look out to a rectangular yard, across which is the ominously mentioned practice building. The group continues along this hall, to the right of which are more classrooms and the first year board for displaying information like test results or upcoming events. "To your left, you all can see the school's recreation field and practice building." The tour group looks out before turning back to Miho. "Alright everyone, we'll be heading up to the other floors soon. If you have any questions just make sure you stop me."

"Biff, dude, her voice is like an angel. It's so gentle and kind and I think I'm in love" Hideo whispers to Biff in such a manner that the latter is unable to tell whether it's a joke, serious, or somewhere in between.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Biff stops as the tour group rounds the corner. "Hold up, I need to take a piss." He locates a bathroom conveniently nearby.

Hideo gives Biff a quizzical look. "We're going to lose the group, they might be the ones getting pissed. Can't you hold it?"

Biff shifts uncomfortably, making a confused face at Hideo's pun. "No, I can't hold it. Just stand guard for me because I don't want to be alone. We can catch up."

Hideo rolls his eyes and leans his back against the wall next to the bathroom. "Ok, ok. Just… be quick, alright?"

"Will do," Biff says, jogging into the bathroom. As he goes, he hears Hideo call out his name from the hallway. "I'm going as quick as I can," Biff shouts back. There's a brief moment before Hideo calls his name again, this time more urgently. "Alright, hold on, damn." Biff finishes up and washes his hands. "What is it?" Hideo has his face and hands pressed against the glass wall looking out at the practice building, so Biff gets closer, repeating his question. "Hello? What is it?"

Hideo slowly turns back around, pointing at the practice building. "There's a purple light coming from there. It's just flashing intensely before going away then coming back on." He turns to the glass again, staring. "Look! See!"

Biff approaches the window too. As it would turn out, there is, in fact, an intense purple light shining from within one of the practice building halls. "What the…" Biff mutters. "What do you think it is?"

Hideo shrugs, face still pressed against the glass. "I dunno, I can't see what's making it."

Taking a step back and clasping his hands together, Biff smirks. "Well, then I vote we go check it out."

Hideo turns his head to Biff before looking around himself again. "I'm not going to lie… I kinda do too, we've already lost the tour group anyhow…" Hideo scratches the back of his head, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "I don't know, though…"

"Awesome. Now, the first step is making sure we can actually get in there. Wouldn't be surprised if it was locked." Biff approaches the door leading out to the yard and attempts to open it. It's unlocked, easily allowing him entrance.

"Wait, what? Oh well, guess we're doing this." Hideo follows up behind Biff, walking around him and through the door, mildly hunched over as though sneaking. "Come on, let's be quick, though I doubt they'll notice we're missing."

Refusing to hunch over like Hideo, Biff just confidently walks over to the door directly across the pavilion on the yard and attempts to enter it. Shockingly it opens as well. "Wow, I didn't actually expect to get this far. You'd think the school would have this building locked if it were experiencing 'technical difficulties'. Well, you first." He says with a grin to Hideo.

Hideo slowly approaches the entrance, looking in. To the right of them is a hall that leads to the gym, to the left, the rest of the practice building. "Yeah, it's a bit odd we can just stroll in here. The purple light's still going though so… wait what the hell?"

"What is it?" Biff asks, starting to lose his nerve a little.

"I swear I just saw the back of someone turn the corner towards the light." Hideo pulls back out. "I'm starting to get the feeling this might be a bad idea... but at the same time I really want to see what's going on."

Biff raises an eyebrow. "Wait, really? That just makes me want to check it out more, let's go." As he says this, he steps into the practice building, cautiously taking a look around him. Biff turns back to Hideo and offers him a hand to pull him in.

Hideo ignores his hand and steps in. "Regardless I guess I should go with you anyways, just so you don't get murdered or something."

"That's the spirit," Biff says, lowering his voice greatly. "We might want to be quiet." He takes a large step, putting his back against the wall and sneaking along towards the hallway with the light. Despite the wall of windows, the practice building is still dark, due to no lights on and the sun being on the opposite side. The duo stealthily approaches the hallway in question. Biff puts up three fingers, counting down before he and Hideo peek out. The wide hallway they're now facing appears to be the center of the building, leading out to several other smaller hallways full of club classrooms. Directly across from Biff at the opposite end is a closet, the door, and framing of which are made of a dark mahogany, oddly standing out from the rest of the building and opened slightly. It's placed so oddly, unevenly spaced between two rooms, that it creates an unsettling feeling just looking at it. The purple light suddenly starts up again, illuminating the entire hallway as it radiates from within for several seconds before declining to just a dull glow.

Biff pauses, staring at this odd door, motivated to continue by an overwhelming curiosity, yet driven back by fear of the unknown. He turns to Hideo to gauge his reaction and reads a similar sentiment on his face. There's almost like an otherworldly urge to continue forward, piercing through the fear of such an oddity. Biff speaks up, "Hey, this is weird and all, but I really, really, feel like I have to check this out. I know we just met and all but… can I count on you to stick with me?"

Hideo sits in silence, his conflicted face bathed in the purple glow. His brow furrows, "Yeah alright. I really don't want to do this but… I feel the same as you do, it's like it's calling to me, and I don't think I'm willing to leave now, for some reason I need to find out what's in there, just, you go first, alright?"

This last comment caught Biff off guard. It was phrased in a fairly dry manner so naturally he'd be pissed at someone pushing this on him, yet when he glares at Hideo, well, his visage seems to hold a combination of despondency and odd determination so Biff lets it go. "Ok, stick right behind me, I'll protect you," Biff says with a bow, trying to make a joke, its impact lost in the context of their surroundings. Hideo just tries to force a smile, the fear present on his face. Moving forward, Biff gingerly takes a step forward as though he were testing the ice for weak points. The duo takes their sweet time, the rush of emotions brought about by the door in question keeping them from going any faster. Any thought of missing the tour group has been completely abandoned by now; there are bigger problems at hand. Biff finally stands an arm's length from the door, his breathing having intensified to a ragged gasping. He reaches out, placing a hand on the already partially opened frame, the other being used to shield his eyes from the light. "Ready?" He asks, slightly turning his head towards the compatriot who stands right behind him, peering over his shoulder with no regard for personal space.

There's no response for a moment before Hideo murmurs, "I don't know."

Biff turns his head even more, glaring at Hideo. "The hell do you mean you 'don't know'? Are we doing this or not?"

Flustered, Hideo stumbles over his words, "I, well, I- I was just thinking out loud ok. Uh, just come one, open it, get it over with."

"Fine, fine," Biff says, rolling his eyes before securing his grip on the door. He takes a deep breath before mustering up the strength to throw it open. Before them stands a sight, that although they didn't have any expectations for what to find, was still exceptionally odd. Suspended in the middle of the closet is what looks almost like a shimmering purple teardrop-shaped hole in the air. What was inside this hole was entirely obscured by the light pouring out, only subsiding briefly every few seconds before intensifying once again. "What…" Biff starts, staring at the rift floating just a couple feet away from him.

Hideo watches over Biff's shoulder, the fear present on his face replaced only by confusion. "What is that even supposed to be?" He asks to no one in particular.

Biff assumes that he's asking him, though, turning around to face Hideo. "How do you think I know? I'm not even sure what to make of this."

"I wasn't asking you, I was just… uh… I don't know, man, I guess-" Suddenly Hideo stops his response, going wide-eyed and taking a step back. "The hell?!"

A sharp chill runs down Biff's spine. Things were creepy enough, but Hideo's reaction fills him with an intense dread, and before he knows it his body is spinning him around to face the hole in space. A dark liquid begins forcing itself slowly through the tiny hole. It's a deep black, shifting sludge that begins pooling on the floor, filling the small closet. Purple light still gleams out of the edges of the rift like a dreadful eclipse. Biff steps back before the sludge touches him, stepping out of the closet. Horrible dread transfixes the two, this new development completely capturing their attention before any thoughts of fleeing occur. Suddenly the tiny hole expands slightly, forced open by two tendrils of the same dark substance that lash out, gripping the doorframe and pulling intensely as a large mass forces itself through, adding to the collective pool. Finally it stops, an eerie silence settling in the practice building. With a lunge, the puddle moves forward as though controlled by a mind of its own, sloshing into the hallway and retaining the shape of a loose, shifting, amoebic body, various small tendrils sticking out, serving to aid it in its advance.

Suddenly it begins jerking itself around while remaining in the same position, as though something from within was trying to force itself out. The middle of the puddle raises up, keeping the now suspended mass folded part way over in an arch shape. The center begins to solidify, forming a bulky, rectangular body while the bottom portions split apart and mold themselves into two pairs of feet. Standing now before the two is a shuddering quadrupedal beast with no distinguishable features besides its shadowy, shifting body. There's not even a head, only a cylindrical torso and four legs. In all, it stands roughly four feet high and six feet long, about the size of a very large dog. Biff and Hideo both step further back as it takes this more recognizable form. The figure gives off a combined aura of displacement in this world as well as bestial, malevolent intent, as though for whatever reason it doesn't belong here. It previously hadn't given any signs of noticing the two boys, but now snaps the front of its body to face them as it makes a spine-chilling sound like some sort of disgusting slurping. As though testing its body's capabilities, the beast takes a ginger step forward, right in the direction of Hideo. Finding its legs to work sufficiently, there's another slurping sound as two red eyes open on the side facing the boys, before finally an uncannily large, sick smile pulls across the beast's 'face,' revealing a full set of teeth that appear oddly human-like. It bends slightly backward, the smile never leaving its face.

Biff suddenly snaps out of his trance-like paralysis, noticing the monster's intent. "Down!" He shouts, yanking Hideo with him towards the way they came in the exact instant that the beast springs forward, lashing out with claws that suddenly extend from its feet. Its freshly formed body seems to be out of shape, causing it to crumble to the ground on the landing. Hideo dashes alongside Biff, running towards the door they came through. He grips the handle, ready to flee when suddenly Biff grabs his shoulder, stopping him from advancing."Hideo, stop"

Hideo spins towards Biff, "What the hell're you doing?"

Biff's face noticeably darkens despite the already dim lighting. "There were young kids on that tour. First years… this monster doesn't look too tough, but if we let it go, who know's what it'll do."

This response wasn't expected at all, the only thoughts running through Hideo's mind were to flee as far as possible as quickly as possible. But after getting called out for it, well he can't just let it go. "O-ok alright, but what'll we do? We're defenseless."

Biff turns around to check on the monster. By this point it's clambered to its feet and is making a strange, enraged hissing sound while facing the duo. It begins to move, slowly at first but picking up speed in a mad dash. "Run first! We'll figure out the rest." Biff takes off down the hall that leads towards the gym, Hideo keeping pace with him. Biff looks over his shoulder to see the exact opposite of what he wanted at the moment. The beast was steadily gaining on them, the terrifying smile never leaving its face, as though enjoying this predatory chase. He whirls his head back around, looking for some way out, previously not knowing where they were running. A set of wooden double doors sit at the end of the hallway, granting that vital hope. "The gym... Hideo." Biff says between steady gasps for air.

"Biff, we'd be cornered, what's your plan here?" The doors draw near, and the two boys lower their shoulders on the approach, slamming the heavy doors open. Simultaneously they both plant their back against the doors from within, shutting them against the nearing foe.

Biff grins to Hideo, bracing himself for the monster's impact. "My plan? To get un-defenseless." That being said, a heavy impact suddenly attempts to force the doors open, succeeding partially before the boys slam them shut again. The monster begins repeatedly throwing its weight against the doors, but not mustering enough force to overpower the other side.

A look of fear crosses Hideo's face at that comment before it changes to frustration. "Undefenseless isn't a word"

"Whatever," Biff murmurs, thinking through his next step. Suddenly he steps away from the side he was holding closed, dashing off towards a storage closet on the other side of the gym. "Hold the door!" He shouts over his shoulder.

Hideo goes wide-eyed as Biff suddenly sprints off. "What the hell? BIFF!?" He shifts himself to the middle of both doors, stretching his arms across. The monster slams it once more, opening it partially before Hideo forces it closed again. "Biff! I can't hold this! What're you doing?"

Currently, Biff is busy. Having entered the storage closet, he's rapidly tearing through the sports supplies kept back there. Deflated basketballs, badminton rackets, and all the works lay scattered about. "Come on, come on." He murmurs, searching for something in particular. Hideo's call reaches him, so he turns over his shoulder and shouts. "I'm coming! Just a minute!" Biff's concerned expression suddenly turns to sadistic glee. "Ooh, come to papa." He reaches into a pile of equipment and pulls his treasure out: A solid wooden baseball bat. "Perfect," he says, love in his eyes. Biff turns back around and runs out the closet. "Hideo! Here I come! Fully loaded and ready to kick some ass!"

Hideo looks concerned despite the fact that he's not struggling against the monster anymore. "Biff, it stopped."

An expression of disappointment crosses Biff's face. "What?" That disappointment turns to panic, though, as he realizes the connotations. "Wait hold on, Hideo get out of there!" Mid warning, the doors slam open with crazy force as the beast dashes into the room, sending Hideo sprawling across the gym. It evidently took a head start to break in, and now the situation's managed to get even worse. The monster slows its pace as it slowly approaches Hideo, still grinning cruelly. A steady clicking noise fills the gym as it walks, its razor claws tapping against the ground, fully extended and ready to tear the defenseless Hideo to shreds, still accompanied by that sick slurping noise.

Hideo begins to push himself backward slowly, unable to keep up with the monster's advance, fear most likely keeping him from standing. "No… no…" He mumbles as if trying to plead with such a creature. "No…" Somehow the beast has failed to notice Biff's absence, its back turned to him. Biff hunches down, trying to avoid making noise as he sneaks up on it, assuming that the beast intends to toy with Hideo and if disturbed may opt to go for the quick kill method. Tense seconds pass and it stands right in front of the fallen boy, the grin on its face growing somehow bigger as it raises a razor-sharp claw, building up for a lethal swing; but Biff unleashes his lethal swing first. In position, Biff winds up with the bat and slams it into the monster's legs hoping to succeed with the crippling strike. Logically, such a blow would have broken an earthly creature's limbs instantly, but the monster's rubbery legs just fell out from under it, showing no visible damage. As it tumbled to the ground, Biff took the opportunity to follow up with an overhead swing to its torso, sacking it for a solid hit.

Wary of a counterattack, Biff takes a couple steps back, keeping a sharp eye on the monster. Hideo takes this opportunity to retreat around and behind Biff, placing the bat-wielding menace between him and the foe. "Biff! Just letting you know, uh, it's getting back up so..." As he says this, the creature is planting its feet under it, pushing its body back into a standing position. The wolf-like monster is shuddering violently, and that furious hissing has picked up again, perhaps an indicator of Biff's attack working.

"Yeah Hideo, I can see that. Thanks." Biff spits back with an eye roll. He takes a ready stance as the monster turns to face him once again. "Holy hell what're you made of?" Biff pulls off his jacket and throws it to the side, pushing up his sleeves. "Well looks like I'll just have to find out." That being said, the creature dashes forward at Biff, swiping hastily for a desperate attack. Biff side-steps left, dodging completely before crouching slightly to build up into a backhanded swing into the monster's back, sacking it. The beast immediately retaliates with a slash, offering Biff only a moment to raise his right arm in defense, cutting him with several of its razor claws. The wound isn't too deep, but it draws blood, slinging it gruesomely across the gym floor. The grin on its face stretches even further, satisfied with its small victory until Biff bashes that smile with the butt of the bat. Undeterred by his injury, he immediately follows up with another overhead slam, knocking the monster flat. It begins shuddering violently to a further degree, yet seems incapable of standing as Biff positions himself for the finisher, placing himself right up against its left side. He sticks the bat along the monster's still smiling face as though preparing for a golf swing. "Hey Hideo, watch this one." Biff winds up and unleashes, batting the shadowy creature halfway across the gym, sending it sliding across the floor. When it finally comes to a rest, it begins disintegrating, its shadowy form dissipating into a reddish-blackish mist that disappears shortly after.

Biff stoops over and grabs his jacket in his left arm, breathing heavily despite the fight being resolved so quickly. Hideo, still standing a few paces back, runs up to Biff in congratulations. He raises his arm for a high five. "That was pretty damn cool if I do say so. Not gonna lie, thought we were goners for a moment haha, um… thanks for that."

"No problem," Biff grins cockily, returning the high five. "OW! Damnit. I forgot about that." The high five impact on his right arm makes him remember the wound he sustained. It's not too deep, but should probably be addressed if they're to continue on. "Hideo, go check out where that thing died, looks like it left something behind. I need to get this fixed up real quick." Biff gestures to his arm as he walks to a first aid kit attached to the gym wall. He wraps the wound in gauze after stopping the bleeding, demonstrating the full extent of his medical abilities. "Well it works." Now safe to avoid damaging his clothes, Biff pushes his sleeves back and puts his jacket on. "Hey, Hideo, what'd you find?"

Hideo currently is bent over the dead monster, sifting through a pile of something. He grabs it all and returns to Biff. "I don't know why, and I somehow doubt there's a good explanation, but it dropped 500 yen and a few shiny rocks."

"What?" Biff says, grabbing the loot from Hideo. "500 yen is pretty sweet but what are we supposed to do with these rocks?"

Hideo looks at them again, "Maybe we could sell them. They're kinda cool looking."

"Sell them? Who would want to buy some shiny rocks that came out of a demon wolf?" Biff pockets both the money and stones. "Well anyways I call dibs. I killed it."

Hideo begins walking out of the gym, waving his arms in exasperation as he speaks, "Geez I dunno, maybe some weapons dealer would buy it."

Biff follows, "Weapons dealer? Why would they want some junk I beat out of a monster? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Dude, I don't know, it was just a hunch; it seems like a good game mechanic. You know what, nevermind, let's just get back to the tour group. I've had enough almost dying." Hideo begins strutting to the door leading back towards the main school. But there wasn't enough almost dying, not yet.

Biff dashes forwards, getting in front of Hideo. He rests the bat on his shoulder and stops his companion with his free hand. "Waitwaitwait. We haven't even got to the good part."

Hideo raises an eyebrow, putting his hand on his hip. "The good part? You've got to be kidding..."

"No, hear me out. Let's at least take a look at that purple thing. The monster came out of it so it's got to be interesting. Plus, well, what if more come out or something, they could just flood this building then that'd be a really big problem." Biff's tone becomes more solemn towards the end there; he seems to be serious about getting to the bottom of this.

"More coming out?" Hideo exclaims. "That's like, exactly what we don't want to face. What if when we try to mess with that purple thing, another monster comes out. Except a bigger, scarier one? This whole stupid thing isn't our problem."

Biff takes a step back and grips the bat, swinging it in practice a few times. "Then I'll give him one a' these," He jabs with the tip of it, "And one a' those. We've got this, the last one only died in a couple hits."

Hideo laughs with a combination of nervousness and amusement, Biff's stalwart attitude easing his anxieties. "Alright, alright, I'll go with you. But you're going first again."

"Whatever you say, boss," Biff says, turning pivoting and crouching as he begins to approach the light once more. They both walk over in turn, Biff taking the lead as he rounds the corner and approaches the dark door. Throughout the entirety of the conflict, the rift never ceased to pulsate with that intense purple radiance in random intervals. He swings the door open, jumping as it smacks the wall on the other side. Once again they stand facing the teardrop-shaped hole in space, moving ever slightly as it remains suspended in mid-air. There's a tense silence as the duo anticipate another devilish creature coming out, but nothing of the sort happens. As that tension subsides, though, the same supernatural feeling of intrigue draws Biff closer while repulsing him with an oddly otherworldly sensation of horror. It feels as though the rift is pulling at him. Like he absolutely needs to learn more about it despite the disproportionate fear it inspires. "Hey Hideo…" He mumbles, distracted by the enticing light. "I'm going to touch it…"

Hideo only murmurs something incoherent in response, likely feeling the same all-consuming enchantment.

Biff reaches forward, arm shaking as he stretches towards the purple tear. A deep voice resounds in his head. "Reach forth and grasp your future. One more trial awaits you. Succeed and awaken your truest self. Step forward into a brand new world." These words don't even register with Biff; all of his attention has been captured by the rift, somehow blocking out all other senses. His palm stops just under the quaking oddity. Biff breathes in deeply and pauses momentarily, gathering the courage to take the leap. The conflict of emotions feels like it's tearing his heart apart, but he grins once more and closes his fist around it.


	2. Welcome to the Dreamlands

Welcome to the Dreamlands

A bright white light suddenly fills both boys' vision, drowning their cognition like a soundless flashbang as the world loses its stability. It feels as though everything is spinning rapidly, being stretched and pulled, re-formed into something new. As suddenly as it begins, though, it stops, and the blinding light subsides, slowly fading to reveal the fact that the world has in fact changed. Instead of the Makisini High practice building, they now stand in some sort of dirt alley. The two look around, awestruck by the sudden change in scenery. Behind them sits the same rift as before, hovering about five feet off the ground, and behind that is a stone wall that's attached to the two buildings that form the alleyway. Flanking both sides are two very similar houses made of wattle and daub with a thatch roof. They appear to be the sort of homes that are associated with medieval peasantry. A vague manure smell permeates the atmosphere, like that of any livestock farm.

"Oh! Wow, you guys just- I've never seen that happen before ha! That was awesome. You like… popped out of it. Holy crap." Before them, blocking the only path out of the alley is a teenage girl that doesn't fit into the squalid surroundings at all. Despite the medieval scene going on, she's wearing black short shorts with a black tactical vest and belt, as though she were some weird guerilla warrior. A knife sheath straps a scary looking hunting knife to her left thigh, as well as several more in a bandolier across her chest. Her auburn hair is kept back in two long twintails that stretch down to about mid-back. Also notable is the fact that her left eye is an intense yellow color, similar to that of Lazia from the Velvet Room.

Biff and Hideo both just give her a blank look, still unsure of how to process the situation; it doesn't appear, though, that she's paying much attention. "Well that's a bloody shame, I was just about to get the kill up until it ran into the hole... for some reason." It doesn't appear that she's actually addressing the two boys currently but rather talking to herself. She speaks in a slightly high pitched voice, yet with a gruff intonation as though she wanted to seem tough. This strange girl suddenly perks up, turning right to the boys. "Buuuuuuut then that means that if it went in there, and you went in here… well, then you must have run into it. Hey, baseball bat! Did you take my kill?"

Biff doesn't respond for a second then realizes she's referring to him. "Baseba- oh yeah. Um yeah, are you talking about the wolf thing?"

"Wolf thing? No, I'm talking about the scary shadow monster. Actually, now that I think of it it could have been a prowler. So that's a yes? Well whatever, you can keep the loot."

Biff shifts in place. "Thanks?"

"No prob. I forgive you." She clasps her hands together. "Now that that's settled, you guys are from the other world, right? Well maybe to you this is the other world, so should I be asking if you're from the real world? But that sounds weird. Ok nevermind, I'm going to assume you are. Allow me to be the first (and probably the last) to say to you… Welcome to the Dreamlands!" She steps back in saying this and thrusts her hands to her sides, dramatically presenting this new, dingy, manure-scented world to them. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Biff and Hideo exchange a look before turning their gaze up to the sky, only now realizing that it's a shifting myriad of colors, rapidly moving and altering between deep purples, greens, and various blues, none of which match the normal sky. Hideo takes it in briefly before shaking his head and addressing the girl who appears to have gotten distracted playing with a knife. "Hey, you… uh…"

She interrupts, figuring he doesn't know what to call her. "Marquis, nice to meet you."

"I- Hello, I'm Hideo and this is Biff. Sorry but what? Where are we?"

"The Dreamlands."

"Yes but what? What is that?"

"My home."

"What? I'm asking wh-"

Marquis sheathes her the knife and laughs at Hideo. "I know, I'm just messing with you. Uh well, the Dreamlands is kinda like…" She pauses, searching for the words. "it's right on the tip of my tongue, ya know? It's hard to put into words. If I had to describe it in ten or less, I'd say that it's a world manifested by the dreams and cognition of people. Nice! That was exactly ten. Now I can give you two a tour around, my schedule is pretty packed but I might be able to fit you in right now. If you'll just follow me th-"

Biff firmly speaks up now, interrupting her. "Stop. What's that supposed to mean? World manifested? Dreams and cognition? Come on, where are we?"

"I just told you! Geez, it's another world, now there's plenty to see, but I should be able to give you the grand tour relatively quickly if we go fast."

Hideo gives her an exasperated look. "Tour? What? No, we don't want a tour." He turns around, looking at the rift behind them. "Will this take us back?"

"What? You can't go back yet. Well yes, but no you can't." She sighs, throwing her hands down in exasperation. "Alright, I lied. My schedule isn't packed, I just wanted to make you two think the tour was special. It's still a really cool place and you're the first people that have come over to this side so I wanted to show off."

Biff lightly punches Hideo on the shoulder. "Let's check this out, it doesn't look too dangerous."

Hideo gives Biff a puzzled look, "As cool as another world is, have you forgotten about the actual tour? In the real world? Aren't we kinda going to be in a sticky situation once we go back?"

"Well, we've got a tour right here. Doesn't that count for something?" Biff gestures at Marquis who waves back. "This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity, let's see where it takes us."

"I don't know why I let myself get persuaded by you." Hideo facepalms, already regretting his decision. "Alright let's do this, Marquis, nevermind, we're taking you up on your tour offer."

"Awesome!" She cheers, "Now, right this way please." Turning around, Marquis walks out of the alley, assuming a crouching stance as though she were sneaking through. Biff and Hideo follow after exchanging one more slightly unsettled look. They step out of the alley into what appears to be the main street of a large medieval village. Those wattle and daub houses, all of the same construction, line the street; occasionally with a pen for animals to graze built on the side. People dressed in rags like any stereotypical peasant mill about, tending to work that appears to be as routine and banal as possible. They all look miserable, and upon further inspection are all teenagers of high school age. Beyond the houses lie more rows of huts, getting dingier as they spread further out. Some houses have small farms alongside them, with villagers tending to them, tilling the earth and harvesting with scythes. One end of the road leads to a massive gate, easily several stories tall with an attached wall equally high. The other end stretches along the full length of the village, eventually reaching a steep hill with a winding path that ends at an extravagant castle complete with two flanking turrets, a drawbridge, and what appears to be knights patrolling the premises, though it's difficult to tell at such a distance.

"Biff…" Hideo starts. "What… you think this is some sort of slave thing? These're just kids... our age." All of the passing villagers avoid the boys' gaze, intentionally looking away as they draw near. One fails to avert her eyes fast enough, offering Hideo a moment to catch a glimpse of her vibrant yellow eyes.

"Hideo I have absolutely no idea. I'm just as lost as you are." Biff looks around, still taking in the surreal surroundings.

"I know… it's just-" Suddenly he's interrupted by Marquis.

"Welcome to the local village. It recently sprung up in the last couple weeks and has been a real pain in my ass; patrols and all. Got a real jerk as its king, too, I'd avoid that guy if I were you, aha. You know, now that I think about it I probably shouldn't be hanging around here, let's make our way towards the gate." Marquis begins walking on the path out. "On your right, you will see some depressed villagers. And on the left even more. Real dreary place this is."

Biff jogs to catch up, walking in pace with Hideo on the other side of her. "What's sprung up supposed to mean? This place is massive, it must have taken decades to build it up this far." He gazes at the mighty stone walls, rising far above and bearing down with menacing significance.

"That is an excellent question; I dunno. Well, actually cognition of the world changes all the time affecting this place, but they're usually never this bad. It'll mostly just be singular people feeling strongly about their lives. This is like a whole population, ya know?" Marquis says this to Biff as though she were just having a discussion of it, disregarding the fact that he still hasn't gotten a clear explanation of what's going on here.

"No. No, I don't know. Are you saying people's feelings change this world? That doesn't even make sense, how are they connected?"

"Geez, I don't know how it works, but that's how it works," Marquis says, not clarifying anything. "It's just a feeling I have about it all. I know this stuff so trust me. Now listen closely, this part of the tour is…" She trails off mid-sentence, perking up. A worried look crosses Marquis's face. She turns around towards the way they came from and goes wide-eyed.

"Marquis? Buddy? What's going on?" Hideo asks. This sudden reaction has both Hideo and Biff worried. They both turn around as well, facing the castle on the hill. Riding down the path from the fortress is a small envoy of those figures that looked like knights. They appear to be in a great hurry, rapidly descending to the village atop what appear to be horses. In the middle of the group is a gaudy figure atop a golden steed with a golden robe fluttering in the wind behind it.

Marquis takes a step backward, looking around in a panic. "Alright, boys, change of plan. I'm accelerating the timeline of the tour; let's go!" She suddenly pivots on her heel and takes off sprinting towards the giant gate. Biff and Hideo respond quickly, deciding to trust her judgment in this situation. They're about a hundred yards off when the massive exit begins slowly closing. The double doors that open outwardly swing shut at a steady pace, threatening them with impending confinement. "That's the only way out! Hurry up, dammit." Marquis shouts over her shoulder.

Hideo and Biff run side by side, the former pushing himself to his limit to make it out. "Of course we're going to die in this weird ass other world. Thanks an effing lot for the awesome tour, Marquis, now we're going to be killed or enslaved or something. That's awesome. That's just cool."

Between breaths Biff retorts. "Hey... Hideo"

"What?"

"Shut up." Biff lowers his head and speeds up, outpacing Hideo. Marquis has proven to be astoundingly athletic, holding a ten yard lead over the two boys. Theres are about fifty yards between her and the exit, but it's a little too late. They aren't even close by the time it seals with an earth-shaking boom. Marquis reaches it first and begins desperately searching the massive door for some sort of alternate way out. It predictably lends nothing though, as the construction is seemingly pristine, showing no signs of weathering that one would expect from such an ancient looking fortress.

"Aaaaaaah this isn't good." Marquis is talking entirely to herself now. She places her back against the door, arms spread out as she tries to decide on a new direction to run in. The circular wall stretches around the village, leaving about twenty yards of space between the nearest house and the barrier perimeter.

Biff and Hideo finally catch up, Hideo looking very accusatory at Marquis. "What way now, tour guide? Do we get to see more of these beautiful sights? Ooh, how about a dungeon cell?"

Biff furrows his brow and rubs his face, stress apparent in his expression. "Hideo, not now. We can give Marquis all the shit we want to later but we need to focus on getting out of here alive, OK?"

Hideo throws his hands up in the air. "Considering we're about to get trampled down by the noble cavalry I wanted to get it in while I could." His arms fall to his sides in defeat. "I guess it really doesn't matter, huh?" Hideo looks behind himself; the group of horse riders is rapidly approaching, sprinting along the main road through the village that has suddenly become deserted, all the peasants likely hiding in their homes. "Awesome… haha" Hideo's goofy demeanor is still in place, as he tries to laugh about the situation. His sudden despair about the plight is a bit surprising though; he appeared to Biff to be fairly carefree, save the reluctance to carry out their investigation of this world.

Biff tries to stay positive, at least for everyone else's sake. "Come on Hideo, we'll find a way out. If not…" Biff flips his bat around, catching it and giving a practice swing. "Then I'll kick some more ass. I promise, as soon as we get out of here we can give Ms. Marquis over here a piece of our mind."

Marquis, who had been mumbling to herself during their conversation, suddenly perks up. "Hey!"

Hideo gives a smile that doesn't look very lively. "Hah, alright Biff… thanks."

"Come on guys, let's get a move on. We don't have much time; maybe we can hide between some huts or something." Biff begins to dash off towards the village once more, taking the path to the left of the giant door to try and make his way between some buildings. Marquis and Hideo exchange a worried look before following suit. "We just need to get back to that portal thing then we're home free. Stay close." Biff says over his shoulder. It appears he'll have to take the lead here as Marquis has proven to be fairly unreliable and Hideo is demoralized. "Everything's going to-" Mid-sentence, Biff stops and goes wide-eyed. "What the hell…?" The ground before him in a wide line stretching between the wall and the nearest building has turned into a sludgey black substance identical to what the wolf monster he fought earlier came from.

Marquis skids to a stop, calling out. "Uh… long hair, get back! I forgot your name," she mumbles this last part. Hideo wasn't prepared for this sudden stop, and having followed right behind Marquis he slams into her from behind, the both of them falling to the ground. "Ah!"

Biff steps backward, the sludge churning violently before several figures erupt from within, forming a line blocking his path. They appear humanoid and bulky, despite retaining that murky composition and a sagging posture that slowly becomes more rigid, as though the substance is still setting into place. Fully formed, they suddenly change appearance, the pure black turning into a silvery grey color, revealing the figures to be hulking knights. They all appear mostly identical, a stereotypical metal armor covering their oddly wide bodies. Underneath the open-faced helmets Biff can see that within they are all still composed of that shadowy substance, but with two red eyes beading out. "No way…" he murmurs, the huge knights standing slightly taller than him, all of them armed with giant, dark green shields and long swords.

The two behind him lay in a pile after their collapse. Marquis slaps Hideo across the face, "Agh! Get off of me."

"Wha-? Y-you get off of me! I- uh- shut up!" Hideo jumps to his feet, blushing. "Wh-what did you even stop fo- oh… oh no." He just now becomes aware of the knights standing silently in front of them all. He spins around, looking for a way out. On the opposite end of the main road, another line of shadowy knights has sprung up behind them. Besides the main path into the village, they're entirely trapped.

Marquis does a kick up jump from lying down, standing next to Hideo, looking all around her. There's no way out unless they were to rush the cavalry that rapidly approaches. In front of them stand roughly eight knights, all evenly spaced to block their escape. The row begins slowly advancing, obviously with the intent of forcing the group closer to the center of the road.

Biff takes several more steps back, avoiding contact with the mysterious enemy. "Marquis… what the hell are these? They just… appeared."

The three are now tightly packed together, steadily moving back as the knights advance. Marquis puts a hand on Biff's shoulder as she talks, her voice wavering. "Shadows they- I'm so sorry. I didn't think they'd track us and…" She trails off, appearing to be on the verge of tears. Biff isn't sure if that's from a desire for self-preservation or legitimate guilt from the deathtrap she lead them into.

The group has now been pushed back to the center of the main road, both rows of knights standing roughly twenty feet from them. Hideo has remained silent this whole time, prompting Biff to check on him as he talks with Marquis. "That's not the problem right now. Keep looking for a way out."

Hideo's face is dripping with total despair, his carefree tone replaced with dread as he speaks up. "Biff… this is a damn execution." The squad of horsemen is rapidly approaching, only fifty yards away, moments from closing the relatively small gap. "They're going to run us down and-" Hideo falls to his knees. "WHY? Why did I listen to you? I knew I shouldn't have come but I let you talk me into it, why did you have to do that?"

Biff is startled by the sudden accusation. His visage turns to surprise before back to a cold determination. "I'm sorry Hideo, but that's not what matters. We're here now, we need to face the facts." His grip on the bat tightens, knuckles going white. The shifting sky catches Biff's eye. Such a foreign world, is this really where he'll die? Biff shakes his head. Not the time for thoughts like that. He needs to stay positive at least for everyone else. "If they wanted to kill us it probably would have been much quicker, those knights advanced with the intent to trap us."

Her face stained by tears, Marquis had been silently crying. Between sobs, she chuckles half-heartedly. "Aha… Biff. That's your name…" Biff turns to face her, his own face going white upon noticing her tears. Her eyes glisten looking at him. "This king's a sick puppy… odds are he wants the kill himself..."

Biff doesn't have the time to speak before the cavalry group is before them, stopping about fifteen feet away. On top of armored shadow horses, those same shadow knights sit silently watching. The horses appear very similar to the knights, with that same metal armor over a shifting black body highlighted by red eyes. It's a bit unsettling that they aren't saying anything, but fear is the primary emotion the group faces, so the uncomfortable atmosphere isn't much of a concern.

A new voice speaks out. It sounds like a normal person with a deep, confident and booming tone but layered with an echoey, deeper voice. "Ohoho! I had felt something enter through the rift so I just had to check for myself!" The group of horsemen part, allowing the robed figure Biff had noticed before to approach. Mounted on a shadow horse clad in golden armor, this new foe towers above the group. He wears a flowing, shiny golden robe as well as a gem-studded, red velvet and gold-plated crown. Biff safely assumes this is the aforementioned king, though he had expected him to be a little less gaudy, and not so big. The figure itself has the shape of a normal human but is proportionately much bigger, roughly eight and a half feet tall. Its body is entirely made of that shifting, shadowy material. A mouth and nose can be made out on its face, but it's difficult to see against the darkness that comprises it. The most unsettling part of this kingly figure, though, is the fact that its eyes are entirely human, though a piercing yellow color.

The king speaks once more in an almost sing-song, mocking manner. "So… these're the intruders, huh? Gotta say, I somehow expected something more. I did mobilize a small army to pursue you after all, the least you could do is make it worth my while!" He begins laughing at his own joke uproariously, the shadow knights joining in with a heartless chorus of "Ha's."

Biff shoulders his bat, furrowing his brow. "That wasn't even funny. Did you really just make yourself feel good by forcing these guys to laugh at your joke?"

The king stops laughing, a look of surprise crossing his face before turning to bitter hatred. Tense seconds pass while he fumes at Biff before his expression relaxes into a cocky smile. "Hm… you're brave, I'll give you that. But bravery only gets you so far without the ability to back it up." The king jumps off his horse, the steed silently standing next to him. A golden sword swings on a sheath at his waist. "And as I said, you don't look like much." He begins laughing heartily once again, so much so that tears drip from his ever unsettling eyes. Suddenly he stops, his expression morphing once more to animosity. He seethes as he spits out his next line, pacing around the cornered group. "And when lowlifes like you speak to a king, you WILL have some damned respect."

Biff says nothing, glaring back at this oddly emotional monarch. He hears Marquis stifle a sob from behind him, Hideo remaining still silent. Unsure of what to make of this guy, or even really where they are, Biff is sure about one thing: he really wants to beat the crap out of this so-called 'king'.

The king suddenly ceases his walking, squinting his eyes at Marquis. His loathing melts into pure glee in an instant. "Oh… Oh! Now this is a delight! I've finally caught you! You… uh… well, I never actually got your name."

Marquis wipes her face, trying to compose herself. "M-Marquis."

"Marquis?" The King booms. "What kind of name is that? Ah, it doesn't matter. The dead don't have names anyways, and for everything you've stolen from my poor, poor villagers..." He can barely finish that last line before cracking up, laughing uproariously once again. After a moment, his laughter subsides. "Hoo, well… there _is_ only one way to deal with a petty criminal like you, after all. And well… I was going to just capture you boys, but if you're in cahoots with a wanted criminal…" The King lets off a long whistle. "Hoo-wee, well that makes you just as bad as her, don't it?" His massive grin turns into a sadistic smirk. "A king's got to have his fun, right? You get it, don't you?"

Hideo makes a noise at that comment. "Wha? Why kill us? We haven't even done anything. Just please let us go."

The King turns to Hideo, grimacing. "I don't take orders from you, boy. And if I let you go you may tell everyone about this world here, and that would interfere with my ah… ambitions. Not that they could really do anything about it."

Biff faces the shadow King, his bat resting on his shoulder. "Ambitions?"

"Oh well there's no use telling you that much, but let's just say I have… arrangements to… 'expand' my kingdom."

Biff goes wide-eyed. That wasn't a very vague statement the King made. It can only mean one thing, really. "You… no way." His eyes dart to the small battalion of knights that were summoned in a mere moment. Who knows how many there truly are, and if they spread to the real world like that wolf creature did... Biff grimaces, fears of what could happen running through his mind. "No. There won't be any ambitions. No expanding."

"Oh?" The king gives Biff a look that suggests he'd be raising an eyebrow, though it's difficult to tell with the whole shadowy face thing.

"I won't let you. And if you intend to kill me for fun… well good luck." Biff's positions his bat for combat. "'Cause I'm going down fightin'." He steals a slightly uncertain look at Hideo and Marquis. The former looks resentfully at Biff, no doubt feeling that their already bleak condition is being worsened by his brash actions. The latter just looks terrified, full of a reasonable fear considering the King's violent threats. Nonetheless, they both look completely devoid of hope.

The King begins laughing once again, louder than before but with the crowd of shadows joining in this time, still mimicking that hollow "ha." He unsheathes his ostentatious sword and points it at Biff. "I told you: You're brave. But that only matters if you can back it up… Men!" The horse-mounted shadows stand at attention. "Show no mercy... but leave them alive. I'll make them rue the day they chose to defy me. This one here has put me in a torture-y mood." With the order given, the cavalry begins their charge at Biff.

Time seems to slow down for Biff as the knights rapidly approach. He'd accepted that this conflict would more than likely go badly, after all he just has a baseball bat against these fully armored knights, knights who move under order, ready to kill. The weight of impending doom feels like it's crushing Biff, flaring his anxiety over the whole situation. Would it have been the right decision to just take the punishment? He'd spare everyone a lot of pain… Hideo… Marquis… they all face a cruel fate as a result. Well, maybe Marquis already had it coming but still. Was what he did right? He didn't want to go down without a fight but maybe it would have been for the ..

A familiar voice suddenly rings through Biff's cognition. That wisened yet kind voice, gravely serious as though Biff's intentions were his very own. Igor's words are suddenly brought to the forefront. "If I can offer any advice it would be to always hold out hope, no matter how bleak it may appear." Biff goes wide-eyed at this recollection. That old man was right; they're all as good as dead if Biff gives up now, but if he fights, maybe he can inspire the others to as well. And maybe, just maybe they can all fight their way out. Out of all the times to, now is the worst to lose hope. _Hope_. With that thought, a warm feeling spreads throughout Biff, starting in his heart and stretching to his limbs. His grip tightens around the bat and a grim determination takes over once more. As the knights approach, he takes a fighting stance, ready to take them all on if he has to.

A loud sound like breaking glass suddenly snaps Biff out of his affirmation of determination. His eyes snap down to the ground, noticing the road in front of him has cracked in a large line, roughly 20 feet in length, in between him and the approaching shadows. This initial noise is followed up by more like it before the cracked road bursts out, a broad barrier emerging from the ground. It continues rising about ten feet over Biff's head before stopping. The surroundings have gone completely silent before an entranced Biff murmurs, "What now…?" Biff looks back at Marquis, trying to get a response from her; maybe she has some idea what this is. No such luck, an expression of confused wonder sits plastered across her face, prompting Biff to turn back around.

Examining it closer, the barrier appears to be a dark grey color. No, it looks more like a window to another world; one filled with a gently swirling grey void. The void parts slightly and Biff can see himself in it, facing back as though he were peering into a mirror. Biff stares at his reflection for a moment, captivated by this new development when he realizes that something is wrong: it isn't a reflection he's looking at. Whatever this is has its mouth curved in a gentle smile and its eyes are a piercing yellow, like so many other inhabitants of this world.

Biff takes a step back in surprise when the figure with his face raises an arm, resting it on its chin as though contemplating something. It speaks to him, its voice his yet underlaid with that deep, distorted intonation like the King possessed. "In...ter...es...ting. I was always hoping we'd get to meet. You're surprised, I get that. This world… is confusing. Scary. Maybe even slightly magical. But despite the signs that warned you of danger you still walked forward undaunted into the unknown."

Biff's face turns to frustration. He's had his fill with the insanity of the dreamlands and is irritated by this change. "What? Who the hell are you?"

The other Biff's smile grows even further. "Who am I? Why I'm you. Or I'm your shadow, that is."

Biff steps back once more. "You're… me?"

Several paces behind Biff, Hideo leans towards Marquis. His anger has subsided once more into confusion at this new development. "What's this? Why are there two Biffs?"

Marquis shakes her head. "I've never seen something like this before but that thing with the yellow eyes is definitely a shadow. 100%."

"A shadow? Like the ones trying to kill us?"

"No, more like those villagers you saw earlier. They're like… the mental manifestations of people from your world, if that makes sense." Marquis explains, waving her hand dismissively. "But then why is it here in that mirror… thing…?"

"Actually no, that doesn't make sense," Hideo mutters mostly to himself. Chilly sweat beads down his face, the fear still maintaining a rigid squeeze on his pounding heart.

From the other side of the mirror, the King's booming voice can be heard. "Well, what are you doing? Finish him! Get in there!" The knight-shaped shadows don't respond. The other shadows containing the group remain silently still, transfixed by the mirror-like barrier.

Biff's reflection continues. "I am a shadow. A reflection of your true self. Shadows are manifested from the truest, often malignant thoughts of a person; their utter hopelessness and rampant dreams. Made stronger by denial, they can consume the unwary or the closed minded."

Biff throws his hands up. He gestures pointedly at his other self. "Why are you telling me this? If you're me then you know what I want, right? Because right now _I_ know that I want to get out of here."

The shadow of Biff laughs briefly. "I'm telling you for context. Despite the circumstances you've been plunged into; first a foreign country and now a foreign world, you never gave up hope. More so, you haven't found the need to hide your true self for the will of others. I've got to say, I'm proud of you… or is it us? Nevermind. Point is: You're truly a rare breed. Sure you're hot-headed, brash, and kindof a dick…"

"Hey!" Biff starts to retort.

His shadow continues regardless, "...But can I really fault you for that? Your openness of heart has rendered your own shadow pointless after all." It pauses briefly, grinning chillingly at him. "What I can do, though, is urge you to embrace this strength of heart." Shadow Biff begins to get worked up, speaking faster and more excitedly, a smile of eager anticipation growing even further across its face. "We've waited long enough, Biff. Apply your will to the world and make us manifest. Step forward once more into a brand new world."

With this outburst the shadow suddenly dissipates into a black and red smoke, vanishing among the rest of the foggy void within the mirror-like barrier. Two red eyes appear within the haze, glowing as they stare down at Biff from several feet above him. Whatever this large figure is, it beckons to Biff, pulling him closer. It feels as though a string tied to Biff's heart has been yanked, drawing him to step forward, standing inches from the wall. The thought of whether he should feel afraid or not runs briefly through Biff's mind, I mean, that seems like the logical response to such an attraction to an unknown realm. This question is expelled by the overwhelming sense of peace that flows through Biff, making him feel as though this is the truest way forward; like this is the first step in a long journey. A tense moment passes before Biff breathes in and enters the looking glass.

The wall allows him to enter, offering no resistance whatsoever. Immediately upon stepping in, another blinding white light fills Biff's sight, bestowing a gentle warm glow upon his skin. Suddenly this radiance is being drawn away, feeling as though it's being absorbed within Biff himself, filling him with a powerful sensation of heat and pent-up energy. As the light subsides, Biff finds himself still standing surrounded by the knights, though the wall separating them has vanished and he faces the cavalry once again, his foes roughly ten yards away.

No longer obscured, the King glowers at Biff. There's a tense standoff as the former waits in case any more obstructions decide to show up. Nothing of the sort occurring, he maintains a neutral expression as he speaks. "Well all that aside, I feel as though it's time to bring this little game to an end. Men!" The knights stand at attention once more. "End this, no-" But he's interrupted by a sudden gale of wind rustling his robes and threatening to knock his soldiers off balance. The tempest ends after a brief moment. "What now? Is this your doing, boy?" He calls to Biff.

Biff, though, isn't listening in the slightest; on his left arm, a foreign object has appeared. It looks to be a circular shield composed of a shiny silver metal. A protruding dome sticks out of the middle, though most striking is the ornate design expertly carved into the flatter portion. The design appears to be a depiction of the Fool tarot card arcana, though Biff doesn't recognize this, being unfamiliar with the tarot. Kind of ironic, huh? Two portraits of the traditional youthful man holding the bindle on a stick wrap around the entirety of the shield face, one taking up each half and inscribed with astounding attention to detail, colored with a palette of dark greens, browns, blacks, and blues. Breaking him out of his bewilderment, a deep voice suddenly rings in Biff's head, coinciding with the earlier burst of wind. "I am thou, thou art I."

As it speaks, this new voice feels like it's rapidly shaking Biff's brain, an experience that is both unique and painful. Biff's eyes widen and his teeth grit as he falls to one knee, gripping his face and dropping his bat. "I slumbered within you for too long. He of grand hope and indomitable fighting spirit; release me. Release your power and show the world who you truly are. Rise to the occasion and hold nothing back." Biff understands what this voice calls him to do and trusts it. It's him, after all.

He steps back up, facing the knights once more, a cold yet cocky expression steeled across his face. No doubts fill his mind as he squares his feet, legs shaking slightly and one word pushing itself to the forefront of his consciousness, creeping out of his mouth. "...Per…" Biff slowly raises the shield above his head, somehow aware of these motions despite never doing so before. "...So…" The sensation of overwhelming pent-up energy rushes through his body faster than before, begging to finally be released. Biff makes a fist as he gathers up the willpower necessary to call upon that other self. With a final motion, his pumps his fist, raising the shield further. "...Na…"

A loud shattering sound rings throughout the silent village, similar to that glass sound when the mirror-like barrier first appeared. A blue flame pours out of the shield, falling to the ground and circling Biff in a small ring of flickering energy. The wind picks up greatly, stirring the fire up in a loose whirlwind centered around Biff, blowing his long hair around as it flows wildly in the wind. The intense gale knocks over several of the closest knights and push both Hideo and Marquis backward and onto the ground.

The airborne flames begin to focus behind Biff, gathering together into a large mass. This form condenses, briefly comprised entirely of the blue energy before morphing into a more corporeal, humanoid form. It appears as a very muscular, oversized, dark green skinned person with a head shaped vaguely like an octopus. Two relatively small, taut wings like that of a bat spread from its back, giving it a wingspan of about five feet and a height of nine. It wears a sleeveless black coat that has silver plating on the shoulders and an oversized silver zipper partially undone along with form-fitting black pants. A Silence of the Lambs-style mask covers its mouth, with several tentacles sticking out of the barred slots on the front. Deep set glowing red eyes stare down at the opposing shadows, radiating a malicious, terrifying aura. This is the persona Cthulhu, awakened from the consciousness of Biff Chanum.

Biff is huffing, strained from the struggle in awakening his other self for the first time. Petrified with awe from the display, Hideo and Marquis fail to make any sort of move. Neither of them have any words, as just a moment ago they were fairly certain they were going to get slaughtered mercilessly. Now suddenly this veritable stranger has just summoned a horrifying monster out of nowhere.

Biff recovers, steadying his breathing. He grins, glancing at the King who stands frozen with a combination of rage and horror. The two exchange a long, hateful stare before the King speaks first. "Will _some_ one kill that bastard?"

One of the knights that wasn't incapacitated by the wind heeds his master's order. With a flick of the reigns, its horse-shadow raises its front legs up into the air, unleashing an unsettling roar. The knight begins his charge, sword drawn and ready for action.

Biff makes a slight motion with his upper body as though preparing to step towards the knight. Instead the monstrous figure, Cthulhu, responds. Its eyes squint as it bends slightly backward, facing the sky with its arms spread out. Cthulhu roars in response, muffled slightly by the mask it wears before springing forward, wings flapping once as it leaps towards the approaching knight. Following Cthulhu's trajectory, the shadow extends its sword to try and impale Biff's persona on its way down. As Cthulhu descends towards the knight with a fist pulled back its wings flap once more, allowing it to dodge in midair and follow up with a devastating blow through the shadow's face. The silver armor they wear turns out to be more of a decoration than a defensive measure, offering little resistance as Cthulhu's fist blows the shadow apart, killing it in one shot and scattering black sludge across the road before it eventually dissipates. A second punch finishes the conflict, liquefying the shadow-horse as well.

"Holy…" Hideo mutters, observing Biff's display of power. His brow furrows, a great mix of emotions crossing over him. Hideo is honestly unsure whether to be terrified, still pissed off at Biff, or hopeful because of what just happened. What he certainly is, though, is confused. "Just who are you?" He calls out to Biff.

Biff offers no response besides taking a step back and turning around halfway to face Hideo. A passionate fire burns in Biff's eyes as he grins, fully confident in this new ability despite just awakening to it.

"Cocky bastard…" Hideo mutters.

"Wha-what?" The King stammers after a moment. A brief fear stains his visage before he composes himself in order to better berate his knights. "Well, what are you all doing? I said kill him, NOW!"

The rest of the mounted knights begin to shudder violently before they and their horses collapse into the sludge, pooling together into a collective accumulation. With a bursting spray and a sinister slurping sound, the sludge jumps up and quickly reforms into different, new shapes. Biff now faces five enemies if you don't count the King and the shadows standing off to the sides. From the sludge pool has come four of those same wolf monsters Biff fought before as well as one new foe. This new shadow appears to be a small spirit wearing a green witch hat on a pumpkin head over a tiny blue cloak, under which no discernible body is found. Its glowing red eyes give off a malevolent aura despite its meager stature, and it wields a little lantern in a singular gloved hand, floating detached alongside.

Biff spreads his arms wide, inviting the shadows to come at him. "C'mon, come at me! But once I'm done." Biff points at the King. "I'm coming for you, ya hear?"

The King grits his teeth at the threat. "I. SAID. KILL HIM."

A snarling draws Biff's attention back to the shadows at hand. The wolves with the human smiles are snapping at him, pacing out as if coordinating an attack. With a simultaneous snap of their legs, all of the wolves dash towards Biff despite Cthulhu standing directly in their path. The pumpkin-headed spirit begins gently floating towards him as well.

Biff smiles and reaches down, picking his bat up once more and gripping it, now ready to fight. "Let's do this! Sic 'em, Cthulhu!" His persona quickly makes its way towards the challenging shadows, levitating just over the ground. The wings don't appear to be necessary for it to hover, but rather are more of a tool for precise and sudden movements.

Marquis, having recovered from her emotional break, clambers to her feet, grinning wildly, face still stained with the aftermath of tears. It's odd, but with Biff awakening to this power, she feels like this is going to go well somehow. "Hah… alright, this'll be fun." She says to herself.

"What?" Hideo says, assuming she was talking to him. He didn't hear fully as he was distracted by the giant monster born of Biff's psyche.

"Not you, boy." Marquis quips. She jumps up in the air. "You've got this, Biff! Kick some major shadow ass!" That being said she does a lunging kick then stabs the air a few times with one of her knives, clearly feeling excited.

Hideo stands as well and turns from Biff to Marquis, a hand on his hip. "What are you doing now? You were just crying."

"I'm cheering him on! Do you not see that big… um… thing! What was it…? Oh yeah, he called it a persona! How are you not excited right now? It just turned that shadow into mush"

Hideo's face turns conflicted once more. "Yeah… I well… never mind." He pauses before cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting half-heartedly. "Get 'em, Biff!"

The group of wolves approaches in a horizontal line. All four of them seem to be intent on getting to Biff, even if that means going straight through Cthulhu. Biff's persona flaps its wings to quickly pump it up into the air before crashing down in a dual fisted slam, crushing the two middle wolves instantly. Cthulhu withdraws its hands, dripping with shadow sludge and attempts a kick attack at one of the other shadows. Its foot catches a wolf square on the side with a crippling strike, sending it sprawling across the road before it dissipates into the tar-like substance. This means, though, that one wolf gets past and rushes Biff, its ever unsettling smile growing bigger as it plans to tear him apart.

As it approaches, Biff turns with his side facing the wolf. He shoulders the bat and steps forward, swinging and slugging the shadow with a solid crack of the bat. This critical hit knocks it over but isn't enough to kill, a deficiency that Cthulhu makes up for with a stomp to finish it off. Now there's just the pumpkin ghost bobbing gently in the air about fifteen feet away from Cthulhu.

Marquis shouts from a safe distance, "Biff!"

"Huh? What?" Biff whirls around to respond, concerned that the other shadows may have made a move.

"Oh, I was just going to let you know that that shadow's called Pyro Jack. I've killed plenty of 'em I'll have you know." She pounds a fist to her chest. "It's real dinky but can shoot fire everywhere. So uh… be careful."

Marquis's advice ultimately was redundant, as while Biff was briefly distracted, the Pyro Jack quickly floated forward and unleashed a burst of flame from its lantern. Cthulhu takes the hit, causing Biff to recoil and sprawl across the ground. Damage to a persona doesn't appear to directly translate to the user, but rather is lessened by the transmission. Biff grits his teeth as he pushes himself back to his feet, extending a hand towards Pyro Jack.

Marquis and Hideo both flinch at Biff getting hit, a brief worry crossing their minds at the thought of losing their only combatant. The fear dissipates as he stands up once more. Hideo looks sardonically at Marquis, "Nice one."

Marquis looks embarrassed and puts a hand on the back of her neck, "Sorry… I'll shut up now."

Biff flicks his extended hand, inciting Cthulhu to extend its spindly wings as though trying to intimidate the enemy. He calls out his attack, the word coming to the forefront of his mind despite never hearing it before. "Psi!" Cthulhu sticks two fingers on its temple-or rather where its temple would be if it didn't have an octopus head-and points the index and middle finger on its other hand at Pyro Jack. A blast of purple, yellow, and cyan light erupts from the shadow, disorienting it briefly and causing it to dip in its hovering position. This brief opportunity is just enough for Cthulhu to flap its expanded wings, boosting it forward as it dashes towards Pyro Jack, jumping up and rearing back before clocking it with a solid punch. The shadow is spiked down to the ground forcefully, dissipating into the black sludge upon impact. Cthulhu lands on the ground before its image changes to a solid blue light that then vanishes, Biff having unconsciously de-summoned his persona.

"WOO! GO BIFF" Marquis shouts enthusiastically, ignoring her previous claim to silence and receiving a disconcerted glare from Hideo.

Now that the fight is over, the sudden fatigue crashes down on Biff. Whether it's the stress of the situation or the burden of summoning a persona, his mind and body both feel fully exhausted. Biff staggers briefly, catching himself before he collapses.

"Hmph," the King grunts, clucking "That's pretty fascinating if I'm being honest. But it would appear you can't keep it up very long, so that's a shame. You'd be useful to me if you weren't so impertinent." There's a brief pause, the King musing over the thought. "Men. Finish him now and we can put this all behind us."

At their lord's command, the two groups of shadows spaz out briefly before turning into their true forms, a varied bunch of menacing monstrosities. Besides familiar faces like the eerily smiling wolves and a Pyro Jack or two, most of the shadows appear new. There are such creatures as floating gumball shaped monsters with gaping, wide-lipped mouths and a lolling tongue; or what looks like vibrantly colored scarecrows with no face, armed with pitchforks. Many others such as these now surround the group, all giving off a malevolent aura, all with the intent to kill. Suddenly they begin trickling forward, coming in waves at Biff; some seem reluctant to attack, others afraid, as though these monsters too have their own personalities. As they eventually start to advance, though, Biff retreats back slightly, grouping up with Hideo and Marquis so as to better protect them.

"Stay behind me…" Biff mutters, his eyes flickering between shadows.

Hideo and Marquis both look afraid as all three turn to stand back to back. Biff's fatigue was not missed by them, and the thought of losing him in this fight is more than scary. Hideo speaks up, "Biff… are you really going to be able to… uh…" He trails off, deciding maybe it's best not to voice his concerns.

This dismay has fallen onto empty ears. Biff has abandoned all thought; all thought except a burning desire to keep fighting. Exhaustion of the mind and body pulls at him, beckoning him once again to surrender, a temptation that Biff resists with every fiber of his being. If he falls now... himself, Hideo, Marquis, and potentially all of Mata face destruction. This desire and his will to keep fighting are all that keep him standing.

Biff breathes deeply and adjusts his footing. Mustering up the willpower, Biff places his fist once more above his head and pumps it, raising the odd metal shield. "Persona!" He shouts furiously, flame once more pouring out of his buckler. The persona Cthulhu forms above the trio, melding into view from the whirlwind of flame, its wings slowly flapping. "Tear them apart!"

Combat breaks out on the whole. As Marquis and Hideo elude any approaching shadows, Biff does everything to fight them off, working in conjunction with his persona to kill with maximum efficiency. Cthulhu on one side manages to ravage several shadows at once with a combination of psychic attacks and devastating punches. On the other side, Biff fights man-to-shadow, holding his own despite no previous combat training. He uses his persona-made shield to catch incoming attacks, following up with some blunt force trauma from his bat, still keeping a sharp eye on Cthulhu to mentally control it in its own fight. This veritable war on two fronts is even more taxing on him than before, but now's not the time to give up. Biff roars with moxy as he reduces a wolf-shadow to sludge.

At one point, though, an attacking shadow, one of the scarecrows, makes it past Biff and towards Marquis. She deftly dodges a stab from its pitchfork, sidestepping the clumsy attack, "Please," she chuckles with an eye roll before drawing one of her knives and piercing it with a stab of her own, following up with a deft kick to finish it off and reduce it to sludge. "Ya like that?" She winks at Hideo before engaging another approaching shadow.

While both combatants are involved in a fight of their own, Hideo can't help but feel slightly useless. He's drawn from this self-pity when he notices an opportunity: Cthulhu has just blasted a group of shadows with a psychic explosion, splitting the cluster in two. The persona follows up by assaulting one side of the fallen while the other lies dazed from the psi-blast. In between, though, lies an opening in the horde.


	3. Hideo's True Self

Hideo's True Self

Hideo's eyes go wide at this sudden chance. In the space between the distracted shadows is an open space. This could actually be his chance to escape, finally, and to return to the real world in one piece. The thought of Biff and Marquis behind him doesn't even register as his feet carry him forward, dashing towards the path to freedom. "Yes… finally!" As he approaches the space, though, a loud cracking sound once again fills the air. It takes a moment to register due to his distracted state, but he flashes back, recognizing the noise as that which occurred before that weird mirror appeared for Biff. His eyes dart down to the ground, confirming his split-second suspicions. In between him and the opening in the shadows, the ground has begun to crack in a long line. "No way…" He picks up his pace to try and make it in time but is interrupted by a great and sudden rumbling noise as that same giant barrier from before emerges before him, cutting Hideo and Cthulhu off from the group of shadows.

At full speed, Hideo crashes into the wall, slamming flat against it and collapsing to the ground sprawled out on his back. "Agh damnit!" He shouts, clutching a hand to his head as he sits up and looks at the barrier, dread filling him due to the cut off escape. His eyes go wide at what he sees, distracting him from his foiled plan. Before him, sitting in the same position is himself; a self, though, with a malicious grin and intense yellow eyes. "You've got to be kidding me..." He mutters.

His reflection laughs heartily and stands up despite Hideo still remaining on the ground, dumbstruck. "Coward." It says, grinning. "That's the second time you've tried to run away, you know. I've been keeping track."

Biff, and to a lesser extent Marquis, are briefly confused. The shadows they were fighting have suddenly stopped; entranced and staring at something behind the duo. Biff clubs a shadow that looks like a yellow colored man but with elongated limbs in the head, the latter offering no resistance. He turns around as he speaks, following their sightline. "What the hell is- Oh… OH!"

Marquis turns as well, going wide-eyed at the sight of the fallen Hideo facing the grand mirror, his other self standing menacingly over him. "Another shadow? Biff… this might be good!"

"Maybe, but his reflection doesn't really look as nice as mine. More cruel than anything." This being said, Biff falls to a knee. "Ah!" He calls out, the sudden fatigue surprising him and de-summoning his persona that had previously been standing next to Hideo. Marquis helps him to his feet. "Yeah, thanks," he keeps an arm on the strange girl in order to keep from falling again.

The king's voice booms to their side, "What now?! You've got to be kidding me! I said to kill them!" He screams at his entranced shadows; it would appear that the mirror doesn't have the same effect on him.

Hideo responds to the shadow's accusation, "What? That was my chance to get out, you idiot! I had to!"

The other Hideo rolls its eyes, chuckling, "Aw, and leave poor ol' Biff behind? After he fought so hard to protect you?"

"Protect me?!" Hideo shouts, "He just about dragged me in here! And then he almost got me killed! I wouldn't be in this damned mess if it weren't for him!"

"Huh?" Biff gasps hearing Hideo's accusation. He casts his eyes downward, his earlier doubts being resonated in Hideo's own sentiments. Guilt squeezes his heart briefly as misgivings flicker through his mind. He casts such thoughts aside; even if that were true he would still do everything he had in him to make it right. No matter the cost. Biff feels his conviction rise once more as he lets go of Marquis and begins slowly shuffling towards Hideo.

"Biff…" Marquis starts.

Hideo's shadow looks suddenly angry, "Oh come on, enough with the excuses. Won't you please just take responsibility for your actions? I mean, you agreed to come here in the first place after all, you agreed to go on Marquis's tour knowing the risks."

Hideo is taken aback by the shadow's accusations once more, "I… no, I…"

The shadow self points at the slowly advancing Biff, "And look at him! He's just about killing himself to fight off these shadows. And you wanted to leave him behind!"

Hideo casts his eyes to the side, still sitting down, frozen in a combination of doubt, guilt, and fear at the prospect of his other self.

His reflection's gloomy mood suddenly changes to one of surprise. "Oh! But don't think I'm judging you for this, haha! I mean, after all… I'm you…"

Hideo makes a choked noise at that last line, still looking away, deep in thought. After seeing Biff meet his shadow he knew what this confrontation connoted but it was still startling to hear. "You're… me?"

"You know it, baby! I'm just trying to be brutally honest with ya, it's what shadows are for!" Shadow Hideo starts to crack up at its own joke. Its mood suddenly turns serious again. "But _if_ I'm being honest, who cares if Biff's fighting to the very end for you oh _boo hoo_." It speaks very sardonically in that last line and grins devilishly once more at Hideo. "Certainly not you of all people."

Hideo looks back up at his shadow. "What…?"

"Oh, you know what I mean. Can you really say you care about anything but yourself? No one around you matters in the end, but you've never had much of a need for others really so who cares? It's much easier not to, after all, that way you don't have to put up with the burden of going out of your way to do nice stuff for them." His shadow's smile fades as it says this, staring down at Hideo with a deadpan expression of full gravity.

Hideo is taken aback once more at these claims. A crushing guilt weighs down on his heart. He doesn't want to admit it but… well, he knows deep down that the shadow speaks truthfully. These claims resound with his deepest thoughts, and they can't be denied. He looks back up at it, a pleading expression having come across his face. It's not that he's pleading for it to stop, but rather is fearful of the truth he's coming to face.

"What's weird though, is despite this, you still put on a funny guy act anyways in some sort of bid to get people to like you. Ironic, huh?" His shadow laughs, thinking for a moment, "Do ya think it's because you relish in the feeling of having others look up to you? Maybe it's the praise? It can't be that you want to grow closer to them, who cares about that!? To be honest, even I don't know! I'm having as hard a time understanding this as you are! And I'm your freaking shadow!"

The guilt grows more. Hideo knows this is true, sorrowfully so, and yet the shadow's cruel words fill him with a grim determination. These are thoughts that he'd ignored for so long, but hearing them said out loud inspires him to do something about it, anything. Hideo pushes himself to his feet as his other self continues monologuing.

"Life seems awfully bleak when you don't truly care about anything. You can pretend to be jolly all you want but it still doesn't give you meaning. I'm you, so if I'm being frank, just man to man: it sucks. But I suppose that whole 'not caring about anything' thing extends to yourself, really, as you're too lazy to do anything about it, or even to acknowledge it." His shadow now seems demoralized and looks down, a sadness taking over its tone.

Hideo now stands straight, facing down his shadow eye-to-eye. "What if I want to start caring? How... do I fix myself?"

His shadow grins slightly despite still looking towards the ground, refusing to meet Hideo's gaze. "You've lost all hope, Hideo, refusing to care yet lacking the will to improve yourself. "

Hideo's face hardens and he grits his teeth, staring even more intensely at his other self.

Shadow Hideo looks up, finally making eye contact with the real one. "It's simple, really, you just have to ask yourself a question. I'm you so I'll do it for you. Am I willing to change? To put in the effort to grow no matter the cost, no longer losing sight of hope? It's a lofty question Hideo, especially for you, so answer carefully."

"Yes. I am. I… I don't want to lie to myself anymore. I know what you're saying is right, so I'm going to take your advice. I want hope." He spits, a grave solemnity in his voice.

His shadow suddenly grins widely, genuine joy appearing on its face. "Excellent." It exclaims in an oddly menacing yet gleeful tone, "But it looks like I, yourself, lied to you once more." A goofy grin crosses its face at the irony of that fact, "It's not that simple, really. It's time to face your own hopelessness head-on; only then will you be able to change."

Hideo raises an eyebrow at his shadow lying to him but decides to let is pass. "Whatever it takes, let me at it."

"Very well then." Shadow Hideo says, a grin still plastered across its face as it steps back further into the void of the mirror, disappearing from view. Its voice can still be heard despite the shadow no longer being visible. "I am a shadow; a reflection of your true self. Hideo Kotchi: Proponent of Hopelessness," As it speaks, its voice begins to get notable deeper, causing a rumbling in Hideo's brain with every word. "Prove your will, and face the darkness in your heart." The shadowy void suddenly vanishes, the misty atmosphere within being dispelled to the sides before vanishing, revealing a truly horrific sight.

Now before Hideo, floating threatening above him is a colossal green eye within a black eyelid. It blinks, peering down at him with a horrible malevolent energy.

Biff, now only a few paces from Hideo, stops his hobbling. "Holy shit…" He murmurs. This new monster is like nothing he's seen yet, easily ten yards in diameter, striking fear in the heart of anyone looking on.

It calls out to them, its terribly deep voice seemingly coming from within the trio's brains, causing a sensation of mind shaking. "I am thou. Cyäegha; The Waiting Dark." Sprouting from within the massive black body of the eye, a plethora of tentacles slowly grow from within, spreading out in all directions. The bottom tentacles of the monster grip several weapons. There are two swords, a morning star, and a large axe, each in its own appendage. "Nothing matters in the end. Especially all of you." It says, growing into a rage on that last line.

With astonishing force, the mirror shatters, sending shards of glass flying outward lethally. Hideo closes his eyes and raises his arms to defend himself, only to feel no expected impact. He opens his eyes to see Cthulhu standing in front of him in a defensive posture, having absorbed all of the hits coming at him. He hears Biff cry out from behind him, pain from his persona transferring back before Cthulhu de-materializes back to that blue energy. Hideo whirls around to see Biff trembling, giving everything he has to stay standing.

"Biff!" Hideo shouts, running to his side, a sad yet wide smile stretched across his face. "Biff... thank you… for everything…"

Biff looks up at the massive eye. With the mirror shattered it now truly exists, no longer bound to the strange world within the barrier. Biff grins at Hideo, "We'll have our chance to chat after this. Actually… you know, we don't have to fight this thing. The shadows are distracted, we could easily make a clean escape.

Hideo's face turns to brooding, his tone becoming deeply serious, greatly different from the awkward, silly Hideo that Biff had met initially. "No Biff, you're the one who doesn't have to fight. I'm through running, and I'll see this finished one way or another. Either my own heart consumes me or I conquer it. Plain and simple. You're more than welcome to leave, I won't hold it against you… heh... you look like shit, Biff." Hideo says, referring to the exhaustion present on his face.

Biff laughs at Hideo's comment, smiling as he pats Hideo on the back, the latter flinching despite his tough attitude. "Hideo, if that's how you feel then there's no way I'm leaving now. I'll help you throughit, and by the look of it..." Biff glances at the giant tentacled eyeball monster that is simply staring at them as they speak. "Well, it looks like you could use a hand. And I'll give it everything I've got left, we can do this!"

"Make that two hands!" Marquis shouts, suddenly showing up alongside the two boys.

Hideo jumps, "When did you get here?"

"Like a minute ago," Marquis says, tilting her head and grinning. "I was just enjoying the bromance going on."

Hideo rolls his eyes as he and Biff simultaneously turn towards the eye. "Ugh, screw off. Anyways you're right, Biff, we _can_ do this. Let's get this done." Hideo falters for a moment. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm scared, but I think that means it's working. If I shy away from this now I'd be getting nowhere." He looks around briefly, spotting something particularly dangerous looking: a giant scythe lying alongside the road, evidently left behind by one of the farming-type peasants when the King's guard showed up. Hideo stoops over and picks it up, gripping the oddly weighted makeshift weapon and giving it a few practice swings. "Looks like I can actually defend myself now with this big ass… uh… grim reaper thing."

Biff and Marquis laugh lightheartedly in response. Despite the dire circumstances, a pleasant optimism seems to have settled over the group. Biff grips his bat and makes a fist with his other hand. The exhaustion hasn't passed, but Biff is still pushing through, having received a morale boost from Hideo's inflamed passion, as well as from his own willingness to go to any extent to see this through. "Let's do this everyone! COME TO ME! PERSONA!" Biff pumps his fist, Cthulhu being summoned to his side.

Taking this as a provocation of combat, the giant eye named Cyäegha slowly begins floating towards the group, most of its tentacles waving gently as it moves save the ones with weapons which swing about quickly. "Come and meet your end…" It rumbles.

Biff and Hideo let out a simultaneous battle cry as they run towards the monster. Marquis stays a few paces behind the two boys, taking the situation cautiously. "I'll be your eyes, guys. Ooh, that rhymed. I'm pretty good at figuring out these shadows. But uh, I've never seen any this big." She mumbles that last part.

Cthulhu flaps its wings and boosts forward towards the cluster of weapons. Biff follows it, though outpaced by Hideo due to the former attempting to conserve his stamina. After closing the gap they stand only paces away from the massive wriggling eye, the many tentacles that able to reach them beginning to strike. "Here's the plan." Biff huffs, setting himself still, focusing on controlling his persona. "I'll keep Cthulhu on those blades, probably safer that way. You go to his left and try to cut down on those tentacles. That's bound to do some sweet damage. Without Cthulhu I won't be much use on the wiggly things so it's up to you."

"No problem, if we work together we can do this. I just know it." Hideo grips the scythe with both hands, the blade facing to his right, and readies himself to fight off the approaching tentacles. A lone one strikes at him first, so Hideo steps back and prods at it with the scythe. Fighting with a farming tool isn't as easy as it looks, and due to him misusing the weapon it just briefly stops the tentacle as he pokes it with the dull end having expected it to be sharp. See, that sort of scythe is only bladed on the inside considering it's intended use is to cut grass. The slimy black appendage seems to look at him funny as if mocking his foolishness before stretching to his side and swinging into Hideo, knocking him flat and his weapon to the ground.

Marquis cups her hands around her mouth and calls out, "Hideo, boy, you've got to hit it with the inside of the blade, you idiot."

"Yeah, I get that now. You suck at moral support, ya know?" Hideo quickly grabs the scythe again and springs to his feet, spinning in a circle to gain momentum before unleashing a slash on the now vulnerable tentacle. He cleanly severs it, causing the wriggling mass to fall to the ground before dissipating into the black, sludgy substance. "Oh woah! Did you see that one?"

Marquis laughs, "That's it, just like that! Now you're not being such an idiot!"

"I'm not at all an idiot," Hideo mumbles, facing the next tentacles, this time multiple at once.

Over on Biff's side, he remains in an intense focus, standing planted as he deftly commands his persona around. Cthulhu has challenged the armed tentacles, hoping to neutralize them in order to distract from attacking Hideo. "Come on, ya bastards." Biff taunts as Cthulhu blocks a hit from the morning star by catching the hilt on its forearm. Cthulhu roars as it strikes at the vulnerable tentacle, severing it in one punch, dropping the morning star and tentacle to the ground, both of which dissipate into sludge. Cthulhu then deftly ducks down, managing to narrowly dodge a horizontal slash from the battle axe, flapping its wings and springing up with an upward chop to slice the tentacle in a counterattack. It too is severed, losing the weapon, now leaving only the two swords. Cthulhu's momentum sends it further up, facing the actual eye portion of the monster, granting it the opportunity to unleash a punch combo into where Biff guesses it would be most vulnerable: In its giant, green, stupid eye.

Cyäegha roars violentlyand. Considering it has no mouth this cry is transmitted painfully into the minds of everyone surrounding. Marquis, Hideo, and Biff all are briefly stunned by the agonizing scream of the monster. Hideo falls to a knee and just barely manages to block an overhead swing from a tentacle using the staff portion of the scythe. Cthulhu, having landed, is only able to put its hands up in defense as the two sword-wielding tentacles strike out, slashing Cthulhu across the arms.

"Ah!" Biff cries, feeling an incredibly sharp stinging in his own arms, though not actually receiving any sort of cut himself. "Keep fighting, Cthulhu!"

Several more tentacles strike down at the kneeling Hideo in a combined attempt to break through his defense. He notices one move to his side, likely planning to blindside him, thus forcing him to make a move. Having gotten slightly more used to the semantics of fighting with a scythe, Hideo dodges away from the bypassing tentacle, moving his defending weapon down and over, slashing at the vulnerable tentacles that now struck the ground due to having no resistance. He immediately follows up with a side slash by reversing his momentum towards the one other that tried to flank. All of them are severed, provoking a cry from the actual monster. "Hell yeah!" He shouts, "Take that… uh… me…"

"Keep it up! It looks like it's getting pissed so keep doing that! They're practically defenseless against your scythe!" Marquis shouts encouragingly.

Cyäegha's mighty voice booms in their minds once more. "Give up now. You fight for such frivolity; I ask you: does it truly matter? Surrender and experience an end to your struggle."

A small pack of tentacles takes a chance to attack Biff himself, moving around the distracted Cthulhu and quickly closing in on the vulnerable persona user. Biff raises his shield to try and defend himself just in case, "My bat won't be very helpful here…" Biff glances at Cthulhu. If he has his persona help him that may leave it open to a counterattack, but there's not much of a choice, is there? "Cthulhu! Psi!" Cthulhu strikes at the sword-armed tentacles to distract them before winging around and pointing at the tentacle group with fingers on its temples. A multi-colored blast radiates from the imposing appendages, blowing them apart with a single blow. As Biff figured, though, the two swords strike savagely at the vulnerable Cthulhu, slashing it several times before it's knocked forwards and to the ground.

Biff falls to his hands and knees, cringing. Pain blossoms across his back, feeling the lashings his persona received. The strain of such extended combat truly has taken a toll on him, and his intense agony has him shaking in his fallen position. Biff puts everything he can into standing once more, but to no avail.

"Biff! Come on, get up! You can't fall now." Marquis pleads, alarmed at the prospect of Biff losing consciousness.

"N-no problem." He grimaces, huffing, "I don't need to stand. But I'm not done yet." After such a break by its user, it would be expected that Cthulhu would have de-summoned. Contrarily, though, Cthulhu slowly rises, Biff sweating as he pushes his newfound persona ability to its very limit, his intense willpower forcing his other self to refuse to succumb. Something feels different, though. Cthulhu feels weaker, not just from Biff's impaired state, but rather like if it takes more punishment then it may de-summon once more, and Biff doubts that he possesses the strength currently to summon his persona, even to raise his arm to complete the motion. "Just... a little more..."

Hideo finishes a new cluster of tentacles that he'd been fighting with several well-placed slashes. Sweat drips down his face from the combat; it's been a while since he's had such good exercise. To check his compatriot's progress, Hideo glances at Biff, noticing his fallen state. "Biff! Dammit." He starts to run towards Biff to support him.

"Wait!" Marquis suddenly shouts, taking a step back and raising an arm to make a 'stop' signal. She stares horrified at the monster's eye. "I think it's doing something!"

Cyäegha slowly closes its eye. From within the eyelid, a radiant red light can be seen beaming out, gathering energy. Its voice resounds once more, "Why fight for such unnecessary burdens? Caring for the sake of others only adds struggle to your life. Allow me to end this for you." Its eye snaps open, unleashing a fiery red beam directly towards Biff.

Within the time span offered by Marquis's warning, Biff had pulled Cthulhu back to him into a defensive position, leaving the armed tentacles to their own volition. "Cthulhu... defend my body," He chokes out. His persona stands before him, arms crossed and head tucked, ready to take one final hit.

The giant beam strikes down, scorching into Cthulhu with a giant fire blast. This attack is more than what Cthulhu was able to take, forcing it to disappear into thin air, leaving Biff fully flat on the ground reeling. After this brief assault, the beam stops, and the monster returns to normal.

"NO!" Marquis shouts, realizing the implication of a fallen Biff. "Get up! Please!"

"This can't be it…" Biff murmurs to himself, just clinging to consciousness. "Daaaaamnit." With every ounce of willpower, he tries to move himself to summon his persona, but his body won't even respond. It feels like his everything has become unimaginably heavy, to the point that lifting it is nigh impossible.

Cyäegha lets loose a wheezing sound that seems to be some sort of cruel laugh. "I warned you; there's no point in resisting. _Nothing_ matters. Hope is just an illusion. Give into your own darkness.." Several remaining tentacles lash out, quickly wrapping Biff up and capturing him. Others move to Marquis, who despite trying to fight them off, is quickly disarmed and ensnared as well.

Biff goes lax in the grip of the tentacles, unable to move himself to do otherwise. "Hideo, it's up to you now…" He murmurs, unsure if Hideo can even hear.

Marquis slams her fists on her captor, trying desperately to get them off. She turns and cries out to Hideo. "You're our only hope! Please, Hideo!"

Previously distracted with Biff and Marquis, the massive eye slowly turns to face Hideo. "Hideo Kotchi. That which I am born. You have proven incapable of destroying me; the weakness of your spirit has seeped too deep." Its wheezing laugh noise starts once again. "You know better than anyone that none of this matters, anyway. It's not like you care about them... or yourself. You tried to abandon them, don't you remember?" Cyäegha's eye squints in a manner like a smile, mocking Hideo.

"No…" He mutters.

"You still resist?"

"I didn't care, but...but I want to now, I don't want to be that way anymore no matter how hard it is. I-I have to grow somehow." Hideo points at the monster from within him. "And I'll proving it starting with you, I'll show you true strength."

Hideo dashes forward once more, intent on challenging the sword-wielding tentacles to finally debilitate his foe. "Come on, I'm not giving up this time; now it's to the death."

The leftmost sword swings at Hideo as he approaches, an attack he parries by catching with the scythe's curved blade. As the other sword lashes out he blocks by raising the staff, now holding back both of the swords. Before Cyäegha can respond by withdrawing the tentacles, Hideo rotates and maneuvers the scythe, positioning the blade behind the tentacle of the left sword. He yanks it as he steps right, severing through both blade-wielding tentacles in one motion, dropping them to the ground and reducing them to a rapidly dissipating sludge. This incites a raging roar from Cyäegha as it moves several more tentacles to attack Hideo. With a spin move, Hideo brings the scythe full circle and slashes across his attackers, easily cutting those as well. A grisly determination plasters Hideo's face as he ducks, dodges, and dices, focusing only on his resolution to win and to free his friends.

Attack after attack go by; flurries of both steel and shadow before Hideo has successfully destroyed all of the tentacles within reach, leaving the monster now defenseless and greatly weakened. It still holds Biff and Marquis captive but its grip seems lax, and the appendages containing them droop close to the ground.

Shadow goo covers Hideo's body before it quickly dissipates into the atmosphere. He raises his scythe once more behind his right shoulder, preparing for a finishing strike. "Nothing's going to stop me now." He swings the blade horizontally, cutting a wide sideways gash in the monster's body. "Especially not myself." Moving with the momentum of his attack, Hideo redirects the scythe around and over him, bringing it down with a vertical slice.

Hideo's cross slash rends the monster's flesh, bringing the levitating leviathan eye down to the ground with an Earth-shaking crash. Well, maybe not an _Earth_ -shaking crash but rather a Dreamlands-shaking crash. The tentacles holding Biff and Marquis go flaccid, flopping on the ground and releasing them. Marquis stands up quickly and runs to the prone Biff. "Hey… Biff… Biff you awake?" Biff groans, and taking that as a good sign she helps him to his feet, allowing him to lean greatly on her as they move towards Hideo.

The monster's pupil has dilated, and despite its defeat, it maintains a squint that almost looks like a smile. "Well… done…" It booms.

Offering no response, Hideo grabs the massive eyelid and pulls himself up, crawling on top of the monster. He walks across its glass-like surface, moving towards the center. Standing over the titanic pupil gazing back at him, he begins to speak in a sober tone. "I… wish I had something cool to say… ha…" Hideo huffs, taking several deep breaths and looking up at the shifting sky. "Something like… like… 'AHA! I have destroyed you, foul beast.' But… well, that wouldn't be true." He looks down, making eye contact with the monster. "Because... you're me; whether I like it or not I can't just get rid of you. I'm not going to lie to myself anymore." His expression softens and he smiles nostalgically, pausing for a moment. "Actually, you know what? Let me rephrase that: You're a part of me; a part because I'm not going to let you define me." Hideo hoists his scythe once more. "It's time for me to change." With a crushing axe swing, Hideo stabs the blade into his monstrous self.

The gigantic eye seems to be smiling upon Hideo once more despite its defeat. Wordlessly, it begins to tremble before dissipating into radiant light. Normally when a shadow is defeated it turns into that sludge that births them, but Cyäegha splits apart into shining white, immaterial orbs of warmth. The change drops Hideo to the ground, causing him to land flat on his feet in the cloud of light, basking for a brief moment in the extraordinary experience. Suddenly they converge, seemingly being sucked within a point on Hideo's chest and disappearing, causing a gentle warmth and sensation of potential energy to spread throughout his body. He touches a hand to his chest, closing his eyes and smiling.

Biff, having regained some more awareness, speaks to Hideo. "Wow. That was pretty cool."

Hideo turns around slowly, dropping his hand to his side, now standing alone where the eye once lay, the white light fully gone. "Oh, it was nothing really, just a little scythe work."

"That's not what I meant. What you did just now…." Biff grins. "That took balls."

Hideo's mouth stretches into a goofy smile. "Ah! Ha, thanks." He scratches the back of his head with his left hand, noticing as he raises it that a shield has seemingly materialized on his arm. "Wha-? It's… Is this?" His eyes flick from his shield to that on Biff's arm. Hideo's shield is circular and made of black wooden planks. On its face is painted a slightly squinting green eye, similar to the image of the giant monster he just defeated.

The shadows stirring pulls Hideo from his revelation; it would appear that Cyäegha's defeat has snapped them out of their trance. The King's voice shouts once more from behind the group. "Honestly, I won't be surprised if some other insane creature shows up. Shadows, I'd tell you to kill them but you'd probably just get vaporized by some lasers from one of their eyes or something." The King seems to ponder for a moment. "Oh, what do I care, go kill them anyways." Several shadows gingerly take steps forward, appearing to just be getting used to moving again after their long paralysis.

Biff suddenly drops from the grip holding himself to Marquis, he falls on his hands and knees. "D-damnit Hideo, I don't think I can do this. Every part of my body's screaming at me to stop."

Hideo confidently strides towards Biff and Marquis, a supernatural feeling of assurance pushing him forward alongside that sensation of pent-up energy spreading throughout his body. "Don't say that, Biff. But it's no problem, I'll handle this one."

Biff looks up from the ground towards Hideo, "What do you mea-" His eyes go wide, noticing the shield attached to Hideo's arm. "No way…"

Hideo smirks, "I know, right? Don't worry, I saw how you did it." Now standing dead center between the two groups of shadows, Hideo stops, balling his left hand into a fist. He takes a brief moment to gather the willpower necessary to call upon that other self. The energy contained within his body seems to react to his resolve, increasing its intensity of feeling, begging to be liberated. Hideo thrusts his shield-clad arm straight into the air, crying out with remarkable purpose. "PERSONA!"

"You've got to be kidding me…" The King starts before being cut off by the blast of wind.

As soon as Hideo shouts to his other self, a loud shatter of breaking glass rings out followed by a tempest of force that begins to blow around him, whipping his hair around wildly. Blue flames pour from within his upheld shield, falling to the ground and forming a blue circle of energy before getting caught in the gale and spiraling around. The whorling flames begin to steadily gather into a mass behind Hideo, solidifying into a humanoid form of blue energy that materializes after a moment.

The figure behind Hideo appears to be a smaller version of the giant eye monster, but if it were pretending to be human. The oversized eye takes the place of a head, and its tentacles stretch down to shape itself into a slender torso with arms and legs. It wears a primarily yellow wool overcoat with random patches of bright colors scattered around it as well as baggy black pants. Out of the arm and leg holes on the clothes, the tips of tentacles stick out in makeshift extremities. It wears no sort of undershirt such that the shifting tentacles can be seen underneath, milling about steadily. This is the persona Cyäegha, born from the will to overcome possessed by Hideo.

Cyäegha appears first rising up and bent back with arms outstretched. Once it hovers slightly above Hideo its upper body snaps forward, assuming a more upright posture. The persona's wiggling 'arms' reach into its exposed front 'torso,' both slowly pulling out shining golden swords with a silver inlay. Cyäegha crosses its swords quickly before it and Hideo assume combat-ready positions.

"Wait, hold on, first order of business." Hideo un-assumes his combat-ready position, fixing his hair as he turns towards Biff. "Cyaegha," he says calmly, provoking his persona to pivot and close its eye gently, spreading its arms out before reopening. The words come to Hideo's mind as he orders his persona to do so, "Energy drop." A single orb of energy appears above Biff, shifting between all colors on a steady gradient. After hovering briefly it dives down, entering his body and spreading its radiance throughout.

"Wha- I… What the hell?" Biff sits back on his ankles from his position on his hands and knees. It's a surreal sensation, but the physical exhaustion he was so burdened by has been greatly lessened. The mental strain is still omnipresent, and he has a killer migraine, but he's able to move and that's a pretty good start. Biff rises, a perplexed look on his face directed towards Hideo.

"Pretty cool, isn't it" Hideo laughs. "Actually, wait one moment." He whirls around along with his persona; Cyäegha boosts forward, still levitating above the ground, and dashes just past Hideo, slashing with one of its swords, quickly bisecting a wolf-shadow that had tried to ambush him. "Looks like this show's rapidly coming to a close, mind if we finish this, Biff?"

"That's all you had to say!" Biff says as he walks towards Hideo, arms outstretched and smiling gleefully. "Let's do this! Cthulhu!" Biff pumps his fist to summon his persona alongside him and Hideo.

The shifting, shadowy King seems to surprisingly not be that shocked by this display. He calmly jumps up on his horse and rallies it back, bringing the steed's front two legs up in the air and down again before turning it towards his castle. "Delightful. Men, you will all die here, I'm retiring to my fortress."

Biff poses, stretching an arm out towards the king in an accusatory pointing. "I don't know what to call you, but I'm not calling you 'King,' that'd show too much respect. Either way, if you run here we're gonna find you no matter where you hide."

The King suddenly snaps, seething with rage, "Shut the hell up you bratty piece of shit. Come after me, I'd like to see you try. These were just grunts. I've seen what you can do." His expression hardens even more, and despite being unable to read his other features, intense, burning hatred is easily gathered through his unsettlingly human eyes. "Not a chance you can even make it to me without being torn to shreds. How about you just run home…" He laughs sadistically, "But it's not like that'll be safe for you soon enough."

Biff gasps, startled by that last line. He turns to Hideo whose face remains neutral with a hardened expression. Suddenly Marquis puts her hands on their shoulders, causing them to turn towards her. She grins devilishly, pulling a knife from a holster. "Come on guys, let's do this just one more time!"

Biff and Hideo nod and hold a fist up, affirming their resolve. The three all turn around standing back to back, the two boys with their personas on opposite sides of the group. With a cry they all run forth, engaging the enemy.

The diminished army of shadows rushes forwards, all of them attacking at once now, moving for one last desperate assault. Cthulhu makes quick work of small fries, punching them into mush while Biff dukes it out with a pitchfork-wielding scarecrow. "Cthulhu, psi!" He calls out, provoking his persona to turn mid-fight and fire off a blast of purple energy at the shadow, knocking it off balance for Biff finish it off with several well-placed slugs.

Marquis takes the fight carefully, not having a persona to support her but making full use of her shadow fighting experience. She nimbly dodges attacks from nearby enemies, unleashing stabs and cuts on smaller, more vulnerable ones to take them down.

Hideo's persona, Cyäegha, proves to be more than capable in combat. One of the gumball shaped shadows with the flopping tongue comes towards Cyäegha alongside another Pyro Jack. "Shred 'em," Hideo says, pointing forward and sending his persona to dash in a straight line before slashing horizontally with both swords, easily bisecting the two shadowshalf. From its bent over, slashing position it looks up towards several more advancing shadows and closes its eye. After a brief charge up, red energy shines from the edge of its eyelid, being released one it opens. "Agi!" Hideo shouts as a fiery beam blasts for several seconds, incinerating the lesser shadows and scalding the slightly more powerful ones.

The fight rages on for only a few moments, the new combatant making all the difference. Shadows are pulverized, stabbed, slashed, and scorched as the two persona users and the one not persona user tear apart the crowd. Essentially what I'm getting at is that the shadows don't stand a chance, and eventually only one is left: A measly smiling wolf shadow, shaking in horror as Biff, Hideo, and Marquis approach it in a horizontal line.

"It's the last one..." Hideo starts, grinning over their crushing victory.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Biff asks, bowing politely to Hideo.

"No, no, we all should." He laughs, turning to gauge Marquis's reaction, "I mean, it's only appropriate."

"I like it!" Marquis says, ever peppily.

Biff waves his hand, having Cthulhu fire a psychic blast to knock the shadow flat. Apparently the smiling wolves are weak to psi attacks. How pleasantly ironic.

"This one's gonna hurt!" Biff shouts, "All out attack!" The three simultaneously rush the wolf, leaving their personas behind and assaulting it themselves. With no means to defend itself, the shadow is subjected to a rapid flurry of attacks before Biff, Hideo, and Marquis all finish in a coordinated pose, leaving their enemy reduced to sludge.

"Wow… it's over... " Hideo murmurs, breaking the pose and suddenly feeling lightheaded. He collapses to one knee, his persona de-summoning. The fatigue of awakening to his other self and fighting one last extended battle finally catches up, wiping out his composure with a wave of exhaustion. Biff does similarly, suddenly feeling the lethargy of combat once more. It would appear the energy boost from Hideo was only minor, just enough to keep him in the fight.

"Hey Hideo, got any more of those energy drops?" Biff asks with a pained smile.

"No way man, I think that's like a charge up thing, and if I summon Cyäegha again I just might pass out…"

Biff laughs, "Holy shit that's right, I can't believe it: you got one too. A persona."

Hideo's face stretches into that goofy smile once again, "I know, _right_? That was so freaking cool!" There's a short pause. "This power…"

Biff finishes his sentence, "...It belongs to us." That being said, both of their visages harden with a resolve. Suddenly Biff looks up and around, "Hey, where's Marquis?"

Scuttering around the battlefield, Marquis is currently hoarding all of the yen and items that the shadows dropped. The boys hear her gleefully cry out, evidently talking to herself once more. "So. Much. MONEY!" She stuffs her pockets full of yen, medicines, life stones, devil fruits, and miscellaneous clutter left behind by the now deceased shadows as she says this, filled with jubilance at the haul.

"Hey… HEY!" Biff shouts at Marquis. "We earned that! That's _our_ money!"

Marquis doesn't seem to be listening, instead hoarding money and talking about how much she loves the aforementioned money and all of the great things she's going to buy. "Ooh, I can finally get those beautiful boots. Or what about more knives. Or maybe food. I could always use food... Hmm…"

Hideo asseverates his resolve once more, his voice becoming gravely serious. "Biff. We can't stay here."

"Huh?" Biff turns back to Hideo, surprised by the change in tone.

"If we do… then Marquis is going to get rich off of our hard work! Stand with me." Hideo starts straining himself to get to his feet, using his scythe as a makeshift cane. "We need… to stop her… Hrng, come… on…."

Biff rolls his eyes, "I really can't tell when you're joking sometimes." With the determination to keep fighting and the hope to carry on, Biff and Hideo make it upright. They both put an arm around each other, slowly limping forward. "We've got this, Hideo. Take it slow." They make their way to Marquis who is currently stooped over scooping up a small pile of yen. Biff pokes her with the bat in his free hand. "Hey… Hey Marquis."

She turns around angrily, torn from her focus. Upon noticing it's Biff she intentionally changes her expression to cheery. "Oh hey, Biff! Great work out there by the way." While saying this she continues stuffing bills and coins into the many pockets on her tactical vest.

Hideo scowls. "We want a cut. We did most of the work, remember?"

Marquis frowns, having expected this. "But… oh alright, you guys can have half."

"Half?!" Hideo exclaims, "Did you miss all of our sweet persona killing? You can have twenty percent. And why do you even need money? You live in freaking wonderland."

"Yeah, cough it up, Marquis," Biff adds.

Marquis looks hurt. "But… I need it to buy food... if I don't I'm going to starve and then who would lead this team? And anyways since you have cool powers it's only fair I get more money as repara-"

Hideo interrupts her with exasperation. "Lead the team? Since when did you become 'team leader'? No, screw you, cough it up." Getting impatient, Hideo tries to scoot forward to take the money from her, but loses his balance and collapses from exhaustion, his scythe falling sideways on top of him, the blade hitting the ground and avoiding slashing anyone. "Agh! NO!"

Marquis dodges back laughing. "Ooh, you're looking a little tired there, Hidi. How about you two head home and leave poor ol' me to gather up all this loot. I'll give you your share next time we meet. That way you'll have some incentive to come back here." As she says so, Marquis clasps her hands and peers down at the fallen Hideo. She looks back up to Biff and smiles sweetly.

Hideo grumbles and grabs his scythe as Biff helps him to his feet. He furrows his brow. "Hidi…? Well we'll be back so don't you worry." Hideo and Biff support each other, both of them breathless from exhaustion. Hideo looks back around at his newfound allies. "Guys, can we promise to get to the bottom of this? Call me crazy but I think-"

Marquis interrupts him, "You're crazy."

"Shut up. _I think_ there's a lot more to this than meets the eye, and it may be a chance to get some real good done, particularly in the, ah, 'overthrowing kings department'. Plus I really want to do more persona fighting. That's pretty freaking cool.

Biff laughs, lightly making fun of Hideo's claim. "You may be right; there might just be something strange about this upside down crazy ass alternate world. Well. Let's shake on it. All of us." Biff lets go of Hideo, both of them managing to stand on their own as he sticks his hand in the middle of the trio.

"Aaaaaah, this is so cute!" Marquis chirps, "Yeah, we're like a team! I foresee great things in our future." She enthusiastically shakes Biff's hand, clasping his forearm as though they just struck a magnificent deal. She turns to Hideo and sticks her hand out to him as well. "Come on, chum. In good sport."

Hideo laughs and shakes her hand, "You know Marquis, you're not so bad." He turns to Biff, offering the last handshake. "To kicking that king's ass. Together."

Biff reciprocates, grinning. "Together."

Now with the formalization of their _contract_ complete, Hideo suddenly realizes something. "Hey… uh Biff, you doing anything tomorrow? Let's meet up. I think we ought to discuss everything that happened and I'm way too tired to do it today."

"Yeah, that's cool. Have something in mind?"

"This little restaurant on the main street of the shopping district; it's called Georgie's. Meet you there at 12?"

"It's a date. Alright, let's get out of here, leave Marquis to clean up."

That being said, Biff and Hideo start to limp off towards the direction of the portal. Hideo uses his scythe as a cane while Biff just drags his bat alongside him. They hear Marquis call out from behind, "Be careful! Don't run into any shadows!"

"Hey Biff," Hideo says as they stumble past the outermost houses, villagers gingerly making their way outside again now that the conflict has ended. They marvel at the two boys, shocked that they're still alive. "What do you think she meant by 'buying food?' Is there some Dreamland grocery store?"

Biff flinches with every step, the two of them being the only thing keeping each other from face planting. "Don't know, don't care. Probably just her trying to scam us."

"Well then what does she eat? Shadows?"

Biff doesn't respond, taking Hideo's question as more rhetorical than anything. He notices once again that the villagers they pass have those shining yellow eyes; just like shadows.

Hideo speaks up once again, "Hey wait, Marquis told me that these guys were shadows… like our shadows... If we're in the school then do you think that these are reflections of other students? They look so… depressed"

"Maybe," Biff says with a somber chuckle. "Heh… But let's discuss this tomorrow. Need be we can find Marquis in here and ask her a few questions."

"Yeah, alright," Hideo says as they approach the alley with the rift in it. They can tell it's the right one because of the radiant purple light shining out. "The villagers don't even notice it, like it's not even there. If they too are shadows then why did that wolf come through?"

"Tomorrow," Biff says, letting go of Hideo as they walk single file towards the rift. The break from exertion has allowed them to stand on their own now. "Well Hideo, would you like to do the honors?"

"It would be my pleasure."

Hideo begins to approach their ticket back to reality when suddenly Biff stops him. "Hideo, wait, you can't bring that giant scythe into a school."

"That... is probably a good point," Hideo says, frowning and looking at his weapon with a puzzled expression. "I guess we could just keep our stuff here. I doubt anyone's going to mess with it." He places his scythe against one of the huts comprising the alley as Biff does the same with his bat. Hideo grabs his shield and tries to tug it off as well. "Probably don't want to be carrying this eith-" Hideo yanks again. "Biff. It's not coming off."

Biff tries to pull his shield off too but to no avail. It appears to be attached to their arm and yields to no force. Surprisingly it doesn't hurt to pull on, regardless of its connected condition. "Uh well I guess we don't have a choice then, let's just hope these don't follow us through."

Hideo stops trying to pull off his shield. "Yeaah… um alright, let's go." Now this time Hideo's the one stepping forward, braving the supernatural sensations of anxiety emanating from the purple glow and stepping forth into another world. He rests his hand on top of the tear-drop shaped hole in reality; instantaneously casting a brilliant white light that fills their senses, blinding both of them. The world feels like it's being flipped upside down and remolded until suddenly they stand back in the closet within the high school practice building. Hideo stumbles, mildly nauseous from the trip. "Ugh, I think I'm gonna puke. That feeling's so weird."

The purple light illuminates the cramped, tight closet and shows the way out. Biff grabs the door frame for stability, feeling slightly queasy as well. "We ought to get going Hideo, the people I'm living with must be worried." Moving his hand, Biff pushes on the dark door leading to the hallway. He steps into the wide practice building hall and furrows his brow. "Wait what the hell? It's still light out."

Hideo nudges Biff, encouraging him to exit the closet. "Well yeah, we've only been gone for an hour or two."

Biff looks puzzled, "I- no- alright I guess you're right. I don't know, it just feels like we've been gone longer."

"It's probably the overwhelming exhaustion. Pushing yourself to your absolute limit will do that to ya." Hideo says sarcastically. "I feel like my head's splitting apart and I can barely walk. In good news though our shields didn't follow us through." He waves his arm and looks at both sides of it before peering around himself. "I think I'm going to sit down for just a moment." With a groan, Hideo leans his back against a wall, starting to slide down along it to sit on the ground.

"Hold it right there." Biff stumbles forward quickly, almost causing his legs to give out on him. He grabs Hideo by the shoulders mid-descent and pulls him back up. "I'm not losing you yet. If you rest now it'll be that much harder to get up again."

" Ah ok, ok let's just get out of here then." Hideo begins shuffling towards the exit.

Biff follows, both of them saying nothing as they make their way out of the practice building and into the main school. It feels like it's been ages since they last walked through the halls of the school, and considering how much has changed it might as well have been. Around the corners of the rectangular building they go, making their way to the front atrium and steadily towards the exit, both of them groaning all the way.

As Biff and Hideo start to approach the door leading to freedom, a welcoming voice calls out to them. "Oh! Did you two get separated from your tour group?" Despite the pleasant intonation, the voice sounds oddly menacing to the two boys; it belongs to none other than the school secretary.

Both of them cringe simultaneously, fear running through their minds at the prospect of being berated for ditching. They exchange a quick look of concern before slowly turning around. Biff puts on an amicable expression despite the exhaustion apparent on his face. "Ah heh… y-yeah, we were just about to head home…"

The secretary smiles kindly at them. "Head home? Don't worry you didn't miss it. The information session is just starting."

Hideo's expression turns to pure dread, hope draining from his visage. "I-information session?"

"You've forgotten?" She asks, laughing lightheartedly. "Your group is just starting in class 1-D down there." To their left, Biff and Hideo can, as a matter of fact, see a classroom marked 1-D. A cold sweat breaks out across both of their faces. "It's only about an hour and a half then you guys are free to go home."

Biff scoffs, " _Only_ an hour and a half?!"

"Well yeah, there's plenty to be covered about Makisini High." She looks down the corridor. "Speaking of that, you two really ought to head over, don't want to miss anything important after all."

"Y-yeah alright…" Biff says, struggling to keep the genial smile on his face. Both of the boys start to shuffle towards class 1-D.

Hideo leans over to Biff. "Biff I-I can't do this. I think I'm going to collapse if I don't get a freaking nap."

"Hideo, man, don't give up now." Biff gives him a pained grin. "This is where the real battle begins; we can't lose hope."

"Real battle? Did you forget the whole giant eyeball killing thing? Because that was pretty significant of a battle." Hideo groans, opening the door to 1-D. They slip in quietly, just catching the beginning of the lecture as they take seats at the back of the class. The room appears to be as normal as possible with two doors on the side they entered on, one at the front and one at the back. Rectangular windows line the opposite wall, granting a view of the suburbs, shopping district, and all of Mata as well as beyond.

For the next hour and a half, Biff and Hideo utilize all of their willpower to stay awake. It's by far their greatest trial yet, as the information session is dreadfully boring despite being held by their cute tour guide Miho. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, they're free to go once Miho concludes with a "And that should be all you need to know about your experience at Makisini High." She smiles sweetly and puts her hands behind her back in a display that appears modest in a charming way. Everyone in the group that was present for the speech immediately standups and gives her a standing ovation. Everyone, that is, but Biff and Hideo, who take a while longer to stand.

"Come on Hideo, now's our chance." As they exit amid the cheering audience, Miho smiles at the crowd before stepping out through the door at the front of the class. Biff and Hideo turn around as they hear the door open and see Miho drop the smile once clear of the room. She doesn't seem to notice the duo as she places her hand on her forehead and her expression turns stressed. There's a flutter of pink hair as she quickly turns and walks around the corner towards the back half of the school.

"What was that about?" Hideo asks Biff drearily though with an innocent concern. "She seemed so lively just a moment ago."

"Maybe it's a headache, she was talking for a long time after all." Biff rubs his temples. "Too long... but I can relate to the headache part. What are we doing hanging around? Let's bounce."

"Yeah…" Hideo murmurs, starting to leave with Biff. The other people from within the lecture are just beginning to file out as well. The thought of Miho looking so strangely pissed in comparison to her earlier persona lingers in his mind for a brief moment. He knows it really is none of his business but, well, his shadow's words suddenly come back to him at the moment. "Can you really say you care about anything but yourself?" Though leaving feels like the logical path, being willing to respond to other's feelings may be the first step to changing; even if it's a practical stranger. If he ignores this… well… "No more," Hideo mutters to himself.

"What's up?" Biff says, stopping and turning back around. "Didn't catch that."

"Uh, Biff… you go on ahead, I'm going to see if she's alright." Hideo says, looking back to Biff with a slightly bashful expression.

Biff grins big and winks. "Ohh, I see. Hah... _I see_. Good luck, partner." Biff laughs heartily, failing to notice the emotional implications of Hideo's actions. "I'll see you tomorrow at 12 o' clock. Take it easy."

"12 o' clock…" Hideo echoes as Biff starts to limp off, eliciting a hand raised in farewell from the former.

Hideo slowly begins approaching the corner he saw Miho disappear behind. Pushing gently past the crowd of folks all making their way out, every step sends pain up his leg from the throbbing soreness. He turns the corner and sees her sitting with her back pressed against the wall, head between her knees. "Uh... h-hey there… I…"

Miho raises her head as Hideo addresses her, evidently not expecting anyone to know where she was. Her previously amiable face looks deadpan, and she appears even more tired than Hideo. "What?" She interrupts him.

"I… heh… uh, I saw you run off around here, and... well I just wanted to see if everything was all good." This is more awkward than Hideo anticipated, he didn't really plan out what to say.

"You don't even know me." Miho asserts, speaking absolutely emotionless, such that Hideo doesn't know what to make of her reaction.

"I… well yeah…. You..." Hideo falters for a moment, searching for the words. They come to him: he'll try and connect himself to her in a way to make it less awkward. "Well you showed us around and all so I-"

Miho interrupts him again, "You weren't even there."

Hideo goes wide-eyed. That just made it worse. "I… well yeah. I… Alright here's the thing: You look pretty glum and all. I just wanted to see if everything was ok I guess." He casts his eyes to the side, recalling his confrontation with his shadow. "I know what it's like to have stuff going on under the surface…"

Miho pushes herself to her feet, seeming to be thinking something through. Suddenly she adopts that kindly tone and gentle smile, "Well thanks... Hideo, was it? But don't worry about me, I'm all good. Just tired after a long day."

"Yeah, I feel you." Hideo rubs his eyes. It would appear she's willing to make conversation, maybe he can extend this. "So uh… you-"

Once again she interrupts him. "Oh! It's getting late, my parents are expecting me home any minute. Gotta run!" With that said, she struts past Hideo, patting him on the cheek as she passes.

Hideo stands there for a moment. Did he say something wrong…? Earlier she seemed so, well, cold. And now suddenly cut the conversation off. Hideo's the type prone to over-analyzing such things, but decides to leave it there. He has enough on his mind as is, and her point about parents was a good one; he really ought to get going. Now ready to leave, Hideo makes his way to the exit and back home. "Why does it feel like things are going to get really busy from here on out?" He says to himself as he walks out of Makisini High.

Biff steps out of the school and takes a deep breath. It looked like he may want to give Hideo his space there, and anyway it was time to make his way home, it being almost three o' clock. Asami and Eikichi would be expecting him home any time. Every step hurts as Biff treks the several blocks back to the Ryleigh's house. As he stands before his new home, the events of the past that lead up to here flash through his mind once again. It's a surreal feeling certainly, that everything that brought him to Japan has now caused him to awaken such an incredible power. Despite no longer being in the Dreamlands the sensation of new tenacity still lingers in his system. "The power of persona." He muses, putting emphasis on the 'p's as he slowly approaches the door. With this power along with his new acquaintances, he feels that Marquis was right: that great things do in fact lie in their future. Right now, though, all he wants to think about is going to sleep, regardless of the fact that it's still light out.

Biff enters the door, smelling the scent of Asami cooking… something, though he's not sure what. It's vaguely sweet but also savory. Hanae, who sits on the couch watching TV perks up as Biff enters, a both small and gentle smile turning the corners of her mouth. Upon noticing it's him she blushes. "Oh, h-hey Biff."

"Hey there, Hanae," Biff says, rubbing the bridge of his nose due to a killer headache.

"How was your… uh… your orientation?" She squirms as she asks, seemingly bashful towards her own curiousness. It would appear that Hanae is really trying to make conversation despite her social ineptitude, a phenomenon that doesn't go unnoticed.

"Long…" Biff thinks back to the intense persona battles he just went through. "And boring." Divulging to her the details of the other world would likely be a bad idea, so he decides to just not mention it.

Asami suddenly walks out of the kitchen wearing an apron. She smiles as she notices Biff's return. "Hi Biff, welcome back!" Her face turns to one of concern. "Oh… you look exhausted. Was it that bad?"

Biff chuckles, "Kinda. Feels like it's been a really long day. I think I'm going to head to bed."

"Oh? This early?" Asami gives a puzzled look to Hanae, unsure of what to make of Biff's sleeping habits.

"Uh… yeah." There's not much more he can think of to say in this situation, partially considering he's too exhausted to come up with an excuse.

Asami laughs lightheartedly, brushing off the awkward pause. "I guess that's teenage boys for you. I'll save some dinner in case you decide you want some."

Phew, she didn't force him to stay up. "Well thanks, goodnight guys."

"Um… goodnight." Hanae blurts, blushing afterward.

"Goodnight Biff, or maybe Goodafternoon?" Asami giggles at her own joke.

Biff laughs politely and waves as he winces in pain, limping to his undecorated room. "He's an odd one but I like him," He hears Asami say to Hanae after he's left.

Biff slowly approaches his bed. Finally. He's come so far for this moment, and now it's finally before him. Changing into a sleeping outfit, Biff feels his bed call to him more and more. It's a sensation similar to that of his shadow urging him to enter the mirror. Finally ready, Biff throws himself on the bed and passes out within seconds.


	4. Lunch at Georgie's

Lunch at Georgie's

4/11

Biff's eyes snap open. Once more he's awakened in the dimly lit forest, a flickering bonfire illuminating the closest trees and the deep blue floor. This time, though, he sits on the ground facing the two figures: a spindly old man and a striking young woman. Biff slowly rises. Still dressed in his sleeping clothes, his bare feet can feel that despite the apparently outdoors locale, the entirety of the ground, save the bonfire's stonework, is comprised of soft velvet.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Says a familiar old voice, cordial and wisened. "Do not worry, I have summoned you here in a dream. You sleep safely in the real world."

Contrary to Igor's advice, Biff worries, no longer paralyzed with the shock of his first trip. "Who the hell are you people? And where the hell am I? Is this the damn Dreamlands again?" His brow furrows in frustration as he looks around bitterly.

The denizens of the Velvet Room seem briefly shocked at Biff's indignant reaction before Igor's smile once again becomes creepily large. The girl, Safie, speaks to her master. "He's a hot-headed one, isn't he?" She turns to face Biff. "Do not be alarmed, we are here to aid you in developing the power of your heart; your persona."

Biff freezes when she says persona. "What was that?"

"Um...I'm not wrong, am I?" Safie glances uncertainly at her master. "Is he the right one? Was there a mistake?"

Igor raises a hand, in one motion both dismissing his assistant's qualms and gesturing towards Biff. "Continue on, there's no mistake. I sense a great potential from within him: the wild card. You yourself witnessed his awakening." Safie goes slightly red at Igor's correction before curtly nodding and turning back to Biff.

Biff squints testily at the girl before him. Her striking yellow eyes stand out to him, and he immediately recalls the shadows he'd spent most of yesterday combatting, furthering his conviction that this is, in fact, the Dreamlands. "You just said persona… this isn't adding up. Someone better start answering questions or I'm going to… um..." Biff looks down at his left arm. There's no persona shield but he's going for it anyways. Biff pumps his fist over his head, shouting, calling out to his other self, "PERSONA!" But nothing happens.

Igor laughs kindly despite Biff's illicit threats. "My, my, I look forward to seeing how our newest guest's future plays out. Most of those who visit never say much of anything, you see, but I have high hopes for you."

Safie looks mildly concerned but continues on with a newfound confidence, "As my master once put it, this room exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is neither your world or the Dreamlands, but rather somewhere else."

Igor continues, "I have summoned you here to discuss our role in facilitating your newfound power… the power of persona." At this point, Biff has decided that perhaps listening to what they have to say may be the best course of action, after all, they seem to have some knowledge to share with him, and it doesn't look like he can just leave. "Only those who have entered into a contract can enter this room, and it would appear that you have formed such a covenant." With this statement, Biff thinks back to his promise with Hideo and Marquis. "All that we ask in return for our services is your promise to abide by your contract, and to accept all responsibility for your actions."

Biff takes the hint that Igor wants a response and runs a hand through his hair, getting a weird feeling from carrying on a conversation with these fantastical figures. "Uh… yeah, sure. That was the plan, after all."

"Excellent," Igor says, bridging his fingers "Hold onto this." That being said, a glowing blue key suddenly materializes at eye level in front of Biff. He instinctively grabs it. "From this night forth you are officially a guest of the Velvet Room. To fulfill the beckoning call of your destiny you will inevitably require our help and guidance, and we will aid you accordingly when the time comes

Safie extends the bulky book she wields, holding it open in one hand. As the book spreads, a card appears out of thin air above it, slowly rotating and exuding a deep blue glow. On its face is the design of the Fool tarot card, a similar pattern to that on Biff's shield. "Recently you awakened to a wondrous new power. By holding onto a glimmer of hope in your darkest hour and stoking your heart's passion to fight back, you were able to facilitate a wondrous awakening to your dormant power."

Igor continues once more. The way they speak in turn is slightly odd to Biff, but the whole Velvet Room is very odd so he doesn't think much of it. "The persona you acquired is a side of yourself that appears when facing the world around you. It is the 'you' that others see. To put it in other words, a persona is like a mask you wear to protect against the hardships of life." Igor chuckles briefly. "Or perhaps a 'shield' would be a better comparison. But regardless, your persona ability is what makes you truly special. It is unique… like the number zero it is empty, yet contains infinite potential."

Biff raises an eyebrow. "Special…? What's that supposed to mean?"

"The power to wield a persona is a manifestation of one's ability to control their heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you grow closer to others, your Social Links will grow in turn, and your heart strengthens accordingly. This development is what determines the personas you will hold; and their abilities as well."

"That didn't really answer my question."

Igor simplifies his response, putting it into layman's terms for Biff, "The strength of your heart is increased by bonds. So as you mature those, your unique ability allows you to turn that strength into different wondrous personas.

Safie picks up speaking, the tarot card suspended above her book glowing more intensely, "But there is more to your bonds. Your connection to others will at times serve to fuel the fire of your heart, granting you strength when otherwise you'd have none." The Fool card suddenly leaves her book, flying into the bonfire and burning up, increasing the flame's intensity slightly and its height by several inches. "Despite just meeting, you were able to transform your will to protect those called Hideo and Marquis into a hope that allowed you to access the true power of your heart, thus taking the first step in an arduous journey."

Igor laughs once more, appearing truly exuberant at the prospect of having a new guest, "I look forward to seeing how you go about facing your future. My previous prediction still remains true: Great tribulation fast approaches, far more so than your last trial. Will the passion of your spirit be capable of staving off the darkness that even now creeps closer? I suppose time will tell. Until we meet again."

And just like that, Biff is opening his eyes, safely lying in his bed back at the Ryleigh's home. This time around, the visit was less terrifying and more just weird. To be honest, up until now Biff hadn't thought of the Velvet Room since he met Hideo. Biff sits up straight and rubs his eyes, the memory of his dream, or whatever it was, still completely vivid in his mind, every aspect completely recollected right down to the velvet under his toes. "It couldn't have been a dream… could it…?" He mumbles, Igor's warnings and advice still playing through his head.

Regardless of what the Velvet Room is, Biff has to get on with his day. He reaches to the floor next to his bed where he set his phone and checks the time. It's eleven o'clock, almost time to meet with Hideo. "Holy hell… was I really out that long? Freaking Igor..." Biff rises and gets dressed after a quick shower. He steps into the living room and checks the time again: Eleven-twenty, so there's time to chat with whoever is home. Biff feels mildly bad, after all, he'd barely had a chance to interact with his caretakers besides the night he arrived.

Asami perks up once she notices Biff approaching the kitchen. She anxiously glances at the clock, "Oh! Uh, good afternoon, Biff. Get a good sleep?"

Biff forcefully strokes his golden locks with a hairbrush as he tries to perfect his daily look, a task that is annoyingly burdensome to fulfill. "Ah, hey there Asami. Haha yeah, I- OW" His hair snagged on the brush. "Y-yeah, feeling much better after yesterday."

"Well that's good," She says trying to be upbeat despite the slightly worried expression on her face. "You look like you're in a hurry… got any plans?"

The thought of all that he and Hideo have to discuss flashes through Biff's mind. "Yeah, I met this guy at orientation and we agreed to meet for lunch."

Asami smiles with a mixture of pleasure and mild concern due to Biff's queer behavior. "Well, I'm glad to hear you're making friends. If you ever want to have anyone over here you're more than welcome to, Eikichi and I would just like to meet them first."

Biff's not paying a whole lot of attention as he's making sure he's got everything he needs for his journey to the shopping district. He does catch Asami's offer, though, "Oh! Thanks, Asami, really. Ya know, I'm glad I'm here with you guys instead of some crazies or something."

Asami laughs at Biff's comment, "We're glad you're here too, Biff…" She says that last bit in an odd tone. It doesn't sound like she's being un-genuine but rather has something else on her mind. That worrisome inflection fades when she speaks again, "I have some eggs and rice from breakfast in the fridge if you'd like some before you leave. Will you be here for dinner?"

"Yes, and yes," Biff says, jogging into the kitchen. "We're just getting lunch after all." But little did Biff know he'd be doing slightly more than getting lunch. Only slightly, though. But don't worry concerned reader, he still makes it home in time for dinner.

After eating and chatting pleasantly with Asami about his new school, Biff takes off for the restaurant Hideo asked him to meet at: Georgie's. A brief walk and navigation along the shopping district's main boulevard allows Biff to find the restaurant in question tucked away between a Big Bang Burger and a hair salon. From the outside, it appears to be a quaint, smaller diner, the storefront of which is painted mostly with yellow.

Entering Georgie's, the locale is decorated in an oddly fanciful manner, with hardwood furnishings and a darker atmosphere. The restaurant stretches far back in the shape of a long rectangle, making it larger than one would assume from its modest exterior. In the back are several larger tables for seating big parties, but towards the front are several booths to the left, a diner-style bar to the right, and smaller tables scattered around. Behind the bar, an employee sits at a register, and beyond them is a window which opens to the kitchen containing several workers bustling around in order to prepare food for the modest amount of guests already within.

Hideo sits in a booth in the leftmost seat, deep in thought. It would appear that he's been here for a little while, sitting with his legs stretched along the whole seat, taking it up as he grazes on an order of fries.

Biff decides not to wait to be seated and approaches Hideo once he spots him. "Hey, Hideo, fancy meeting you here."

Hideo snaps out his thoughts and perks up, grinning, "Hey there." He sits straight so as to better talk.

Sliding into the rightmost seat, Biff bridges his fingers and thinks for a moment. "Jumping right into it here… how're you doing, man?" Biff, of course, refers to how Hideo's holding up after the confrontation with his other self, he seemed to be thinking pretty intensely up until Biff arrived.

Hideo perceives what Biff's getting at and goes slightly red, fidgeting and rubbing the back of his neck. "I… uh… alright, I guess. Thanks for asking." It would appear that this isn't a subject Hideo wishes to divulge further into due to the terse response. To Biff's surprise, though, he continues. "...I'm sorry, I'm uh, not really good at talking about things like this."

"Don't sweat it." Biff says with a grin, "No one's making you talk."

"But I feel like I need to get it off my chest, ya know? Hope you don't mind..."

"Shoot."

Hideo goes on with a nostalgic sigh, "I didn't get much sleep last night just thinking it over, yeah?" He doesn't pause to consider his words, clearly having thought through what he was going to say in advance. "My shadow's words kept playing in my head over and over again. I know I accepted it and all but it's just so painfully true, and... and I really, _really_ wish it wasn't. I still have no idea why I act the way I do… why I never really cared... but it's the truth. I've got to accept it, I'm not running away anymore." There's a brief moment of silence. "I think the worst part of it all, though, is that I can't help but feel like I'm… not a good person."

Biff sits back in his seat with a concerned expression due to Hideo's self-condemnation.

Hideo seems to falter, reconsidering what he wants to say. "Well- I… It's not like I was, like, assaulting people or peddling drugs or anything, but it all comes back to not caring. I never truly cared about the people I called my friends and didn't work towards growing closer to them. I didn't even try to improve myself in any way, I just… didn't care. I don't think a good person would be like that." Hideo's eyes have remained downcast this whole time but now he snaps them up and looks Biff dead in the eyes. "I don't know what to think about myself if that's my natural behavior… but I do know one thing: I don't want to live that way anymore. I want to grow stronger... and I also want to find out how to become a good person one way or another. I can't afford to be so damn apathetic anymore, and I think that the Dreamlands may be the perfect way to do so!" Hideo's hands have clenched into fists as he says this, the passion behind his words being yet another contrast from the laid-back attitude that Biff first interacted with.

Through his words, Biff can sense Hideo's resolve to change, radiating outwards and giving him hope for the future. As this thought crosses his mind, Igor's words are suddenly recollected. "As you grow closer to others, your Social Links will grow in turn, and your heart strengthens accordingly." Next, Safia's voice speaks to Biff in a gentle, calming manner, affirming the glimmer of hope Hideo awakened.

I am Thou, Thou art I

Thou hast acquired a new bond.

It shall awaken the passion of thine spirit,

and fuel the flame of thine heart

With the birth of the Lovers persona

Thou shalt share the burden of responsibility

In facing the tribulation of thine destiny

Biff closes his eyes as he feels a sensation spread throughout him, one similar to the energy rush that flowed before he summoned Cthulhu for the first time. Hideo finishes his monologue, relaxing a bit. "So my goals here, however vague they are, are to become a good person and to better understand my own emotions…" Hideo looks slightly awkward. "Thanks for listening to my rambling…"

Biff chuckles, "Any time, man. Though I can't say I really know what you're going through, I did see what went down in the Dreamlands so I'm happy to talk if you need me." Hideo smiles wide, appearing genuinely thankful for Biff's unconditional support. Up until Biff continues. "But for my services, I'm going to charge the rest of your fries. I think that's more than fair, right?" Without waiting for a response Biff slides Hideo's food over to himself and begins quickly eating.

Hideo looks disconcerted as though he's about to object but then decides to let it drop, it's the least he could do to say thanks anyway. Hideo reaches across the table and grabs one, a smile somewhere between exasperation and tranquility across his face.

They eat in silence for a moment, Hideo still thinking about his identity crisis, Biff thinking about how good these fries are. Biff speaks up, mouth full of food, "Hey Hideo why the hell are we eating here? This is American food! I just moved to Japan; I want sushi, and… other Japanese food I guess?"

Hideo rolls his eyes as Biff swallows. "This place is good, plus considering I eat Japanese every day sometimes I want foreign food."

Biff leafs through a menu, looking dreary. "But this is all burgers and stuff. What if _I_ want foreign food." He closes the menu. " Regardless of your questionable choices in dining, I think we ought to get down to business. Where should we start with the whole… you know…"

Hideo runs both hands through his hair as he laughs, feeling overwhelmed now that the Dreamlands are brought up. "Well let's go over the uh… the basic facts, ok?" Hideo thinks for a moment and lowers his voice to avoid drawing stares despite the sparse restaurant population. "So... there's an alternate world."

"Yup," Biff agrees.

"Full of murderous shadow monsters."

"Yup."

"And also not-murderous shadow people."

Biff eats more fries. "Mmph."

"And also when we're there we can summon those 'personas'…"

Biff grins, thinking back to his persona Cthulhu, "Yup, that part's my favorite."

Hideo strokes his chin, "As cool as it is, what are they…? I mean, I can feel it's me or rather another part of me, like..." Hideo's face suddenly clouds, "like my shadow... but why? Why could _we_ awaken to them? What's so special about us?"

"Well it's obviously got to do with that other world, right? That place was weird as hell. Actually, wait a minute, Marquis mentioned that the whole world was made of 'dreams and cognitions,' but what's that supposed to mean?"

Hideo gesticulates with his hand as he talks, "Dreams? Like… sleeping dreams? Is it made from people sleeping or something?"

"That would explain how surreal it all was, and I guess the monsters would be nightmares? But then why were all of the people shadows so depressed looking?"

Hideo stops waving his hand and rests his face on it, stumped, "Well we have no way of knowing, we'll have to ask Marquis when we next see her. Maybe we could stop by the Dreamlands after school tomorrow." Hideo looks up with a grimace, "You didn't forget school was tomorrow, did you?"

Biff flinches, "Yeah, I did, thanks a freaking lot for reminding me."

Hideo looks down, pretending to be hurt by Biff's snarkiness, "I was just trying to be helpful." A brief moment passes before he continues. "And there's also that _King_... I think that's the most pressing issue here."

A dark determination shifts across Biff's face, "Yeah. You're definitely right." Biff broods on the subject before carrying on. "Let's not mince words here, Hidi."

"Why are you and Marquis calling me Hidi?"

"I think he's planning to invade Mata."

Hideo goes wide-eyed briefly before squinting, a similar seriousness permeating his expression; he knew Biff was right after all. "He didn't exactly try to conceal it, did he."

Biff clenches a fist. He may only have been in Mata for the last day, but he was going to do everything in his power to protect it. Hideo seems to share the same resolve for his own motives. The former speaks up, "We've got to stop him, you know. I somehow doubt anyone else is going to do it."

"Of course," Hideo concurs, "We have the power of persona, so whatever they are we're going to make damn good use of them." The gravity in his visage seems to dissolve, "But another thing I want to know is what exactly that King is."

"Well probably a shadow if I had to guess," Biff says dismissively.

"That's what you'd think, except he, or whatever it is, isn't like any other shadow."

"What do you mean?"

"Well the shadows we had to fight were pretty much just monsters, really. And the shadows that appeared like people, such as our own, still were just that: people. The King was shaped and acted like a person shadow but looked like one of the dark, sludgy ones."

"I didn't think of that.." Biff says, now racking his brain for a possible explanation. "But that _is_ a good question." There's a brief moment of silence during which a waitress approaches and takes Biff's order. She appears to be an American-looking woman in her mid-thirties with blonde hair. Despite his earlier protests, Biff orders a burger. He continues the conversation once she leaves, "Actually, Marquis seemed to be familiar with Lord Douchebag, we probably need to ask her about that too."

Hideo crosses his arms and huffs, "Looks like we need to ask Marquis a lot here. Freaking Marquis."

Biff laughs and stretches his arms, spreading them along the back of the booth seat, "Heh, yeah. Quite the character, huh? What do you think _she_ is?"

"With the whole one yellow eye thing?" Hideo clarifies. Biff nods. "I don't know, half a shadow? What I do know though is that she's sure as hell annoying."

Biff smirks devilishly, putting both hands on the table and leaning in closer to Hideo, "But she's cute though, huh?"

Hideo goes slightly red, not having expected that at all, "I- uh… well yeah. In kinda a weird, unique sort of way."

Biff sits back once more, eating a fry. Ever casually he asks, "What's your type, Hidi?"

"What?"

"Girls Hidi, I'm talking girls now."

"Um… geez… that's pretty straightforward and also kinda sexist. And why won't you stop calling me Hidi?"

Biff muses on the subject, "Personally I like 'em real good looking, and peppy to keep it interesting." There's a brief pause. "I need an answer from you Hidi, I'm not going to stop asking."

Hideo blushes again, getting awkward, "Ah- I… hah... I guess I like girls to be kind and um… upstanding?"

"Upstanding?"

"Y-yeah, like… confident... assured in themselves, ya know?"

Biff rolls his eyes laughing, "Ooh I wonder who you could possibly be referring to."

Hideo starts to protest as Biff laughs at his expense,"Th-that's not what I meant, come on ma-" Suddenly he stops, noticing a new figure. They'd missed it during their discussion, but apparently, a stranger has approached the table, having been listening for who knows how long. Whoever it is they wear a long black trench coat and their face is concealed by a 'Get Smoked' red snapback tipped low. "...Hello there…?" Hideo starts, unsure what exactly to do.

The figure speaks in a voice that attempts to sound gruff but comes across more as slightly immature, "I'd like to consign a hit."

"What? Buddy, can we help you?" Biff spits, already starting to get annoyed.

"A hit." The unknown person, standing at roughly 5'4", isn't that menacing for their mysteriousness. Slowly they reach into their coat, the rustling of which makes the noise of metal clicking together easily heard. With a single motion they draw their hand, flicking a large sack of coins onto the table, roughly the size of two fists put together. The sack appears to be completely full to the brim of yen, several spilling out on impact.

"What's this supposed to mean? And why are you throwing money at us? Who are you?" Hideo's starting to get impatient as well, honestly, this feels like some stupid joke more than a tense moment.

"Me? Heh… you already know me, Hidi," The figure says grimly, raising its head slightly.

"Hidi…? Oh hell no..." Hideo raises a hand in horror, realizing what these words imply. With the figure's head raised he can see just under the brim of the hat, their face still mostly obscured save one yellow eye peering out.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Biff loses the tension in his voice, starting to laugh.

"That's right, boys." The figure tears off the trench coat and flicks it across the room, raising its head further to reveal that they are none other than Marquis. She throws her arms into the air, posing dramatically and sending her twin tails flailing. "I've found you in the real world!" Wearing the same outfit as yesterday, Marquis is still strapped down with knives for some reason.

Biff and Hideo slowly turn towards each other and share an exasperated look. Hideo turns back to Marquis, putting a hand on his forehead as though he were fighting a headache. "I-" He sighs, "You idiot, you can't carry so many knives around like that. Put the coat back on."

"Oops, good idea," She jogs over to where she chucked the trench coat and slips into it, leaving it unbuttoned, effectively negating the purpose for which Hideo suggested she put it on. "Well? Aren't you happy to see me? I expected cheering at the big reveal."

"You're not ge-" Hideo starts.

She continues, not waiting for a response, "Well I'm happy to see you guys, it's been, what? A day?" Marquis clasps her hands together, pretending to be sheepish. "And more importantly, Hideo... I couldn't help but hear that you think…" She gives Hideo puppy dog eyes, trying to be as adorable as possible. "...That you think I'm… cute!"

Hideo chokes on his own words, "Akh- I… wha-"

Biff saves him, "Give the poor lovebird a break, Marquis, sit down."

"Ooh, whatever you say, Biff. I'm beat after all the walking. Parallel worlds are quite the trek away." Marquis starts to sit in the same booth as Hideo.

Hideo recovers from his brief composure break, "Actually Marquis, this is a persona user only table. The non-persona user section is over there." Hideo points elsewhere in the restaurant.

Biff changes his mind from earlier and opts instead to join in on the terrorizing Hideo party, "Geez Hideo, I understand you want to flirt with Marquis but there's no need to be mean."

"Wha? I-I'm not flirting with Marquis!" Hideo exclaims, going from the offensive to the defensive, currently fighting a verbal war on two fronts.

Biff raises his hands mockingly in surrender, "Alright alright, be as… what do you people call it? Oh yeah, be as tsundere as you want."

"I'm not a tsundere either!" Hideo goes wide-eyed, unsure of how to effectively refute these claims.

"That sounds like something a tsundere would say," Marquis chimes in.

Out of retorts and overwhelmed, Hideo looks defeated and bright red. He collapses onto the table, head buried in his arms.

Biff and Marquis both laugh, having defeated the poor and helpless Hideo. Biff winks at Marquis, "Ok, let's really cut him a break now."

Victorious, Marquis slides into the booth with Hideo, punching him in the arm. "And once I get my persona I'm totally going to kick your ass."

Hideo suddenly sits straight again, back to normal and having regained his composure. "What makes you think you're going to get a persona?"

Marquis raises a hand and speaks as though it were obvious, "Uhhh, because you guys got one? Duh? I just need to find my shadow wherever that little bugger's hiding."

Hideo and Biff exchange a slightly concerned look before the former speaks up, "But… aren't _you_ a shadow?"

"Wh-what?" Marquis' cocky expression disappears, replaced with worry. She casts her eyes down.

"Or… half a shadow maybe? So would you have half a persona?" Hideo muses mostly to himself.

Marquis appears to be deeply distracted. This is obviously something she's put a lot of thought into before, "I… don't know what I am."

"Really?" Biff says, resting his head against his hand. "Well, where did you come from then? You had to come outta something."

"I don't know," She mumbles, "I just remember existing one day, maybe, like, a few weeks ago? And I just happened to know enough about both of the worlds to get by, the rest I figured out myself. I... really don't want to be one of them… and I was hoping I'd have a persona because they're cool and also because that'd mean I'm not actually a shadow."

Hideo looks up at Marquis, appearing guilty, "Geez, sorry to bring it up, Marquis. My bad."

"You're fine," She says, still casting her eyes away from everyone.

"Hey, Marquis," Biff says firmly. She looks up. "I think I can speak for both of us when I say we don't really care whatever you are. You're cool, and we've already fought a few good fights together. You're one of us, man, no matter how mean some of us are to you." Biff gives a pointed look to Hideo.

Hideo crosses his arms huffing. "She's the one that bullies me," He mumbles before deciding to throw in his two cents. "Yeah, and whoever said shadows can't have personas? That is if you're even a shadow at all."

Marquis has tears in her eyes, the boys' supporting words striking a chord with her. "Hah… thanks." She wipes her face. "Just… thanks. I uh… really needed that."

Biff decides to drop the subject, "Anyways, what are you doing here? How did you find us?"

Marquis has regained her composure at this point. "Oh, I heard Hideo mention this place when you guys were planning your date, and I've seen it when making trips to the real world so I decided to come along."

"Hold on," Hideo cuts in. "Visits? So you've come to this world numerous times? Do you break out of the school every time or something?"

Marquis gives him a blank look, "What? No way. I come through the other portal. Well… usually, the one at your school just opened so I've only broken out of it a few times."

Biff goes wide-eyed, "What…? 'Other portal?'"

"Well yeah," Marquis giggles, "How else would I have come to this world, dummy."

The boys exchange worried looks before Biff puts his palms on the table and stands up ready to take off. "Other portal?! Like for shadows to come out of?"

"Oh no no," Marquis waves for Biff to sit back down, "This one's safer. It's in Tokyo and shadows never actually come out of it, so chill out. Like me. Real chill." Marquis sinks down in her seat for some reason, head sticking just above the table.

Biff ignores her odd comment and sits. "We'll probably have to check that out just to make sure, Hideo. I'm broke so we'll have to wait to take a train to the city."

"Yeah alright, but Marquis, you sounded so assured when you said no shadows would come out. What's so special about that portal?" Hideo asks interrogatively.

Marquis is still slumped down but responds nonetheless, "It's kind of in a safe place in the Dreamlands, like next to a big, big, _big_ tower."

"Big tower?" Hideo raises an eyebrow. "Big towers and personas? Where have I heard this before?"

"No," Marquis corrects, " _Big, big, big_ tower. Like, this one goes all the way into _space_!" She says space really dramatically. "And it's really cool looking, actually we can probably go visit it today. That money I threw at you earlier was your cut from the shadow genocide of yesterday. It was also my fee for the hit."

"Huh," Hideo says, slumping down in his seat like Marquis as he pulls the sack of yen over to count it.

Biff continues asking questions, giving an uneasy look to both of his fully chill partners. "The hit?"

Marquis suddenly sits up straight, dramatically announcing, "I'd like to take out a hit on that King. You know, the shadowy mean one."

Biff raises an eyebrow, "A hit like… hitmen hit?"

"Yes," Marquis says, slumping once more.

"Marquis… we're not hitmen."

"Aw come on," She begs, "It's just sorta a shadow, and I'm giving you good money for it."

"But that does remind me," Biff says, back to business. "We were discussing going after him anyways but needed to clarify some facts about that world with you before making a decision considering, well, we don't know what we're getting ourselves into."

"Shoot," she says. Pointing a finger gun at Biff and pretending to fire at him.

Hideo suddenly raises his voice, "Biff... there's 20,000 yen in here!" From his slouched posture he pushes the sack across the table.

Biff looks at it briefly, "How much is that in real money?"

Hideo sighs, thinking it through. "Something like 200 American dollars."

"Hey, Marquis, why do the shadows have so much cash on them?" Biff asks.

She shrugs, not paying much attention due to having been distracted by carving her name into the table with a knife.

"Marquis," Biff says more firmly trying to get her notice. She flinches having been pulled from the carving and sits up straight. Hideo pushes himself up as well. "Like I said, we need to go over some stuff about the Dreamlands with you before we make some murder-pact."

"Shoo-" She starts, making a finger gun again.

Biff interrupts, "What the hell are they?"

"The Dreamlands?" She asks.

Biff nods, sighing with exasperation due to getting nowhere with her. "Ugh, yes the Dreamlands. You mentioned that it was made of the 'dreams and cognitions' of people. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ooh, uh… my bad, I guess I phrased that wrong." She stills plays with knives despite being in a public area, tapping them together like toys. In order to not get her distracted again, Biff and Hideo decide not to mention it. "By 'dreams' I meant… like… I guess people's hopes for life?"

Hideo bridges his hands together and rests his head between them, "So dreams like what people aspire to?"

Marquis points a finger at him, "Exactly!" She says cheerily. "You're not as stupid as you act, Hidi." Hideo furrows his brow and starts to say something until Marquis continues, "Everyone's dreams-I'm going to keep calling them dreams-everyone's dreams kind of combine to form that world, that's why it looks so crazy. But the thing is, when someone feels particularly strongly about life it has a more direct effect, like that whole castle thing."

Biff taps the table habitually, "Well then what's up with the shadows? And why are some of them monsters?"

"The whole 'hopes for life' thing works both ways; when they have no aspirations and instead view the world as sucky then it has like an upside-down effect, with changes to the world being formed from their dread. Shadows are a separate thing… kind of."

"My head hurts," Hideo complains, overwhelmed by all this information.

"Everyone has a shadow; they're the parts of you that you refuse to acknowledge. For most normal people they're a result of their hidden hopelessness towards life but if, say, someone had grand evil plans and were particularly deluded then I guess their shadow could come from that."

Hideo suddenly looks concerned, "This sounds like foreshadowing."

"Pay attention," Biff chides.

"Geez, I am, I am."

Marquis continues, "I think that the monster ones are a product of the whole of the Dreamlands, coming from all of humanity's minor sentiments that aren't powerful enough to fully materialize, instead sorta merging into those weird creatures. As a matter of fact, most people shadows don't really manifest unless their dreams are particularly strong, that's why the Dreamlands aren't just filled with random people shadows wandering around. Side note: This is all just stuff I randomly happened to know from the first moment I remember, I don't know why I know it but I do."

"Well, you're our most reliable source so we'll trust it," Biff asserts. "You mentioned the castle coming from strong 'dreams.' What does that mean? Whose dreams created it?"

"Since it connects to your school my guess would be the students, that's what the shadows there were, right? And the castle was created from powerful dreams, so let's call it a construct, like a construct of their dreams. Constructs take the form of how people with strong dreams view the world around them."

Hideo sits back, thinking this through, "So if those villager shadow people are from the students then why are they in a castle? Is it someone's hope to become ruler of all those kids?" Hideo suddenly goes wide-eyed, thinking he has this figured out. "Then that would mean the King is that person's shadow! Right?"

"No, you Hidiot," Marquis says, laughing at her own joke.

"...Hidiot…" Hideo murmurs, upset about being shut down and called such a stupid name.

"The castle is definitely created from the students' negative feelings about their lives, I mean, they manifested as peasants being worked to the bone in some fortress after all. But that's why their shadows are there in the first place: people's shadows inhabit their own dreams' constructs. If one person feeling particularly strong can have an effect on the Dreamlands then just imagine what a whole school full of people can do."

"...This is just getting more and more confusing." Hideo says, still dismayed.

"Then pay more attention," Biff retorts, mildly irate. "Alright, then what's the King supposed to be? He didn't look like the other people shadows but then why does he possess so much control? Wouldn't it make sense for control of the construct to go to the students' shadows?"

Marquis thinks about it for a moment, "Well… he's really closer to the monster shadows than the people ones. You know how I said the monsters are created from minor sentiments conglomerating?" She starts to push her hands together, meshing her fingers as though to demonstrate people's sentiments coming together. "With the students' shadows all being so close together, their hopelessness kinda… grew into the King. Like a cancerous growth. Also, the students wouldn't have any control if they feel like they have no control over their own lives, that's what created the castle in the first place."

"So he's like their combined shadow?" Biff clarifies.

"Exactly, and with the ties that the Dreamlands has to humanity's minds he's definitely having an adverse effect on the students. The castle and King have only been around for like a week or two but the wall has steadily gotten bigger and his army's steadily gotten more powerful. My guess is that his continued existence is somehow worsening the feelings of hopelessness in the students, which increases his strength in turn. Or maybe it's the other way around? As he grows more powerful, the students hate their lives more and more. Either way..." She stands up and slams her hands on the table, sending a knife she set down spiraling across, narrowly avoiding cutting Hideo. "I vote we kill 'em!"

Biff appears suddenly vexed, his brow furrows as he harshly whispers, "Marquis dammit. Keep your voice down." Looking around the restaurant to be sure no one heard, Biff turns back towards the duo. "That's kinda a big leap, don't you think?"  
"Here's my list of reasons why you should do it. One, he's a prick and deserves it. Two, we've got to do it to save the livelihoods of these fine Mata-nese students. Until he's gone there's no way it's going to get better. Three, he's been a real pain in my ass. Four, didn't he mention he was going to invade Mata or something? That's a little concerning. Five, uh… five… um, oh yeah! Handling those shadows yesterday was easy-peasy. There's like, barely sorta any risk."

Hideo gestures towards Marquis, "As much as I hate to say it, she makes a compelling argument. I vote we do it but it's up to you, boss. We wouldn't be alive right now if you weren't there so I think it's safe to rely on your judgment."

Biff rubs his forehead, he knows what he's got to do but hesitates; not out of fear but rather a distaste towards making such a quick decision. A thought crosses his mind, reminiscent of Igor's words on embracing the tribulations of life. He considers the fact that he's never been afraid of taking a leap like this, so why start now? Biff looks between the spaces of his fingers, eyes settling on his two partners. The carefree Hideo sits back against the corner of the booth seat, a placid smile turning up the corners of his lips. His eyes flit to Marquis who stares right back at him. Biff feels his heart stir at the intensity of her gaze, due partly to the fact that it's freaking weird to stare at someone with one glowing yellow eye. The tense expression plaguing Biff's face relaxes and she grins, knowing that she's won. "Alright… alright, we'll do it. Let's get 'em. Do you have a plan, Marquis?"

She suddenly looks surprised before smiling guiltily and laughing, "Aha… uh… well, my plan was to walk up to the castle and kinda just fight our way through."

"That's as good as any," Biff claims cheerily, that familiar bravado taking over his voice once more, his hope renewed by the supporting presence of his allies. "I don't know what we face from here on out, but I'm confident that if we stick together we've got this."

Marquis appears energized by Biff's sudden passion and jumps out of the booth, standing to its side, "Yeah! I believe in us!" She bunches one hand into an excited fist and sticks the other in the middle of the table. "Everyone's hands in the middle! Time for a team cheer."

Biff grins and puts his hand in the middle followed by an eye-rolling Hideo. Hideo suddenly perks up confused. "Wait, if we're a team then what'll we call ourselves? We need a team name if we're going to do a team cheer."

"Huh…" Marquis says contemplatively, "I uh… didn't think of that actually."

There's a brief moment of silence that causes their hands to sag as they all think. With a self-assured smirk, Biff has it figured out. "I've got it! MIFAS (Pronounced Miff-ahs)."

"MIFAS?" Hideo asks, frowning at the odd name. "Is that like a reference to something American? I'm uncultured so I wouldn't get it."

"No, it's an acronym. The 'Mata Improvement Force and Assassination Squad.' MIFAS." He says, repeating the term and feeling proud of his profound ingenuity.

"MIFAS…" Marquis repeats, testing the word on her mouth. She suddenly smiles and reaffirms her hand's position in the center of the table, "I like it! MIFAS on three!" The boys exchange a look and share a knowing nod before Marquis continues. "One… Two… Three…"

"MIFAS!" They all cheer. Despite the juvenile display of sportsmanship, it's an endearing display of connection between the three. Though they've only known each other for about 24 hours, their experience lends itself to an affinity like old friends. Every one of them, with all of their differences and issues (yes, even Biff has issues), all have come together for a common goal: To protect this dreary suburban town to their last breath. Except for Marquis. It's not really clear what she's fighting for.

Marquis sits once more as Hideo turns to Biff. "Hey Biff," He says. "What's with the 'Improvement Force' part? I thought we were just ruthless murderers."

Biff combs his luscious golden locks with his fingers, "Well I figured that we'd have to do something to actually improve Mata once we depose that King. I doubt just killing him will solve the problems."

Marquis breathes in sharply, sounding slightly disappointed, "Uhh yeah, they could actually regress if that isn't addressed, then we'd be right back at square one."

"Hm…" Biff murmurs as his burger finally arrives. Before the waitress leaves, he notices that her name badge reads 'Georgie.' Must be the owner. Despite the fact he's in Japan, the food is great, inciting a mildly nostalgic feeling as he recalls authentic American cuisine. Biff sets the burger down and starts to speak, "Marfkis-" He finishes chewing. "Ah, Marquis, I forgot to ask about our own shadows. I understand that everyone has one and all but why did ours manifest, and furthermore why in that weird mirror."

"I dunno, never seen that before. Probably because you entered the Dreamlands yourself or something. Must have some effect..." Marquis responds distractedly, eyeing Biff's burger in an entirely un-subtle manner.

Biff furrows his brow, "Can I help you?"

Marquis says nothing, instead opting to just give Biff the pleading puppy-dog eyes.

Biff groans, "You can have _one_ bite."

With a singular fluid motion, she grabs the burger and takes a big bite, sighing with pleasure.

"Hey, guys." Hideo, who had been silent in thought up until now, speaks up, drawing the exasperated Biff and tranquil Marquis's attention. "We were all pretty confused about personas and all, and we know they come from being willing to fight one's… uh… darker side. As shown by myself…"

For whatever reason, Hideo saying this suddenly causes Biff to recall and speak Igor's words from this morning, "Personas are the power of the heart made manifest…"

Hideo gives Biff a briefly confused look before nodding slowly, "Yeah… that's what it feels like. Definitely. That also makes sense with what Marquis was telling us about shadows, except like a good shadow if that makes sense. But… what if they're also a result of us having an effect on the Dreamlands. Like a sort of construct, that's why my shadow turned into that giant eye..."

Biff nods slowly as well, understanding what Hideo's getting at and finishing the thought for him, "And if that's the case then what if our persona is like the Dreamlands causing our hope to be materialized into a controlled form…" Hideo nods in the affirmative, signaling that the two are like of mind.

"Hey, that's actually a really good idea, Hidi. Nice work!" Marquis says cheerily, smiling at Hideo.

"Well, it's just speculation…" He starts as though trying to discredit himself.

"Well it makes sense, and it makes us sound cool." Biff leans over the table and punches Hideo playfully in the arm in the same spot Marquis hit earlier.

"Ow…" Hideo complains, rubbing the punched area.

Now having covered everything they needed to, the trio finishes eating. In saying that the trio finishes eating, it would probably be more appropriate to say that only Biff finishes eating, as he fights off Marquis's repeated advances on the fries he stole from Hideo. It's a pleasant half-hour full of miscellaneous small talk and plenty of terrorizing Hideo. Eventually, Biff finishes and they begin to make their way out after paying.

Hideo pushes his way through the door and holds it for the others. "Ah, what a gentleman," Marquis teases.

Biff turns around towards the other two and stretches his arms, now free of the dimly lit restaurant. "So, you two still up to check out that tower thing?"

Hideo checks his phone for the time, "I don't know Biff… it's almost one-thirty, getting pretty close to my bedtime. My parents might get m- of course I want to check out the magic Dreamlands tower." He says sarcastically. Turning to Marquis, Hideo continues. "Marquis, would we be fighting any shadows if we went there?"

"I've never seen any when passing through." She responds, thinking. "Did you want to? I'm sure I could find some for you to stab or laser or… scythe or something."

Hideo waves a hand dismissively, "Not today, thanks. Still need a break after yesterday."

Biff urges his partners on, "Well let's get going then. Hideo, let's buy passes because I get the feeling we'll be making this trip more than once."

"Alrighty," Hideo says giving an oddly awkward thumbs up for some reason. He and Marquis follow the leading Biff to the Mata train station. After a brief episode involving Biff, a hot dog store spokesman, and the giant sack of money that Marquis gave them, the two boys get year-long bus passes to Tokyo, leaving Marquis out due to her already having one.

Just like that, Biff's back on the bullet train, zipping towards Tokyo. He and Marquis stand up side-by-side and look out at the passing subdivisions that turn into partially developed fields, then past vast grain farms before eventually back into the concrete masses of modern city life. Hideo sits on the opposite side of the train, looking out as well.

Marquis stares out at the passing landscape and speaks up in that voice that attempts to be tough though with slightly more vulnerability this time around, still not looking at Biff. "I think I like this world better than the Dreamlands."

"Really?" Biff says gruffly. "Why's that?"

"It feels more real. I know that… if I'm a shadow… that means I…. came into existence in the Dreamlands, but that doesn't really make it feel real. You two barely saw the good part of it by the way. Despite the weirdo shadows, it's uh… really beautiful like in a crazy way. This world, as rough as it is, has a special charm that only the real, plain world could."

"Rough with a special charm…" Hideo suddenly speaks up, having turned around after listening to Marquis' short monologue. "Sounds like you, Marquis. I guess that'd make you more like this world than the Dreamlands."

She whirls around, hitting Biff with her twin tails, "I'm rough? What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

"Wha- I was trying to say something nice!" Hideo exclaims, raising his hands defensively.

Biff grins and turns back to the passing landscape as the two continue bickering. Eventually, they make it to the center of the city, exiting the train at the district of Shibuya. Marquis quickly guides the two boys through the crowds of people milling about, many of whom are students evidently dreading the start of school. They end up in a barren back alley in a corner of the city that's already sparsely populated, behind some old closed down store that perhaps, in a previous time, would have been visited by anyone besides these three. Before the trio floats a purple glowing rift, just like that in the school.

"We're doing it again…" Hideo murmurs, that supernatural sensation of fear and curiosity stabbing at his heart once more. The feeling must be a byproduct of the portal, as they no longer have any reason to be afraid. "Why hasn't anyone found this thing…?"

"There's no one around, dummy." Marquis chides. "Y'all ready?" Without waiting for a response she boldly extends a finger and touches the rift.

A blinding white light fills Biff's vision, drowning out all other senses. His stomach feels as though it's being flipped, tipped, and repeatedly punched while the ground itself shifts. With a gradual easing, the intense glare begins to subside, revealing a whole new world. The shifting gradient sky guarantees that this is, in fact, the Dreamlands, not that there was any doubt. Instead of being in a squalid village, though, our heroes stand on a hill facing an awe-inspiring verdant valley. Two mountain walls stretch up the sides of the lowland, enclosing the long tract of land that ends in an abrupt cliff far in the distance, only bisected by a thin rivulet. Beyond that, an undulating sea stretches to infinity, turned orange by the setting sun. The sky's chromatic light reflects off the land, revealing that instead of terrestrial material, the ground is comprised of what appears to be a shifting, glass-like substance. In all, there's a surreal atmosphere similar to a dream, respectful of its namesake. In the valley, far from the hill, scattered small black specks mill about aimlessly, which upon closer investigation can be seen to be formless shadows.

The two boys take it in for a moment before Hideo turns around to inspect the rest of his surroundings. He suddenly gasps, "Huh? Biff…"

Biff turns around at his partner's call, taking a step back in surprise. "What the hell…" Before them now is a colossal black tower. Shaped like a massive black rectangle, it stretches up endlessly into the sky, peaking somewhere far above the mountains and the shifting sky. As for dimensions, the tower is at least a square half-mile in area, its breadth taking up much of their vision. Biff finally gets a word out as he examines his arm, persona shield now firmly attached, "You were right, Marquis, that is… big, big, big."

Marquis jumps in front of the boys and stretches her arms wide to present this wondrous sight to them. "Welcome… to Celephais!" She shouts, tilting her head back dramatically, reminiscent of her first interaction with them in which she introduced the Dreamlands.

Suddenly Hideo shouts out, "PERSONA!" And punches his fist straight up into the air. Blue flame pours out of Hideo's wooden shield, getting caught up in the summoned whirlwind and forming into Cyäegha, Hideo's other self.

Biff goes tense and assumes a combat-ready stance. "What is it? Did you see an enemy?"

Hideo, who had been busy admiring his persona, suddenly turns around quizzically, "Huh? Oh no, I just wanted to look at it."  
Biff's face relaxes from apprehension to annoyance, he sighs, "Screw you, Hidi. Don't scare me like that."

"Aw come on, it's cool! Isn't it cool, Marquis?" Cyäegha silently floats behind Hideo, tentacles fluctuating gently as he turns towards Marquis.

She jumps up and pumps a fist, cheering, "Hell yeah!" Marquis shifts her feet, standing stalwartly, assuming a serious tone. "And once my persona comes in it'll be even cooler. I've been practicing how I'll do it, like..." She extends her left arm in a fist before shifting it upward at a ninety-degree angle. "perSONA!" Her face looks slightly confused as she repeats the motion. "Or maybe more like… PERSOna." Unsatisfied with that one as well she shakes her head, "I'll get it eventually."

Biff and Hideo exchange a look of something between concern with Marquis' expectation that she'll get a persona and amusement at her mannerisms. Biff suddenly points behind Marquis who has taken to reenacting the persona summoning motion, "Can we go in?" He asks, having taken notice of the only extremity on the otherwise flawless black structure: A transparent glass door outlined by glowing gold.

Marquis suddenly snaps out of her distraction and turns towards the door, "Er… no. That's like an elevator thing. It takes you farther up the tower but that's where the whole thing starts to get crazy. I checked it out once," Taking a step closer to Biff, she starts whispering for some reason, "Shadows…" She says dramatically.

"Well in that case," Biff says, checking his phone to find out the time. Despite there being no service, the clock still works fine. "We may want to wrap this up, it's almost four o'clock and we still need to head back."

"Yeah…" Hideo says reluctantly, "My parents are expecting me home for dinner."

"Same with my… guardians I guess I'd call them." Biff turns to Marquis. "What about you?"

Marquis perks up, suddenly looking a little timid, "Aha… uh, I'll just have to make my way back to my camp."

"Your camp?"

"Yeah, I've been camping out at some place over… uh…" She looks around to gather her sense of direction before pointing. "Over there. In some dream construct like the castle. Pretty sweet digs if I do say so."

Biff chooses to ignore Marquis describing her home as 'digs.' "Is that safe with the shadows all around? Need us to make sure you get back safe?"

"Ah!" Marquis suddenly smiles awkwardly, going bright red. "I… no I'll be fine haha, lived here long enough. Th-thanks though."

"Yeah…" Biff murmurs, now addressing Hideo who is currently examining his still summoned persona. "Hideo," Biff calls, causing his partner to flinch and hastily de-summon his Cyäegha.

"Wha-what?" Hideo stammers, mildly startled.

"Will you be good to fight, let's say, tomorrow after school? I'd rather deal with this King sooner than later."

"Um… yeah, that's cool by me. Doubt I'll be able to pay attention in class when I'm thinking about all the cool… uh… 'persona things' I'll be doing."

Biff turns to Marquis, "You hear that? Tomorrow after school. That's like, three o'clock. Be ready to kick some shadow ass, we'll be coming through the village portal."

Marquis was standing with her arms behind her back, looking at the ground mildly bashfully, evidently caught up on Biff's offer to walk her home. She snaps out of it and looks up, laughing awkwardly and scratching the back of her head, "Y-yeah, that's cool. I'll see you guys then. Only then. See you tomorrow. After school. Gotta go!" Suddenly she sprints off in the direction she claimed her camp was in.

Biff raises an eyebrow at the retreating Marquis and turns to Hideo, "She's up to something."

"Definitely." Hideo concurs. "Well, wanna head home?"

"Definitely." Biff closes his fist around the nearby rift, flooding their senses and changing the world back to the Shibuya back alley. The two boys steadily make their way back to the train station and ride to Mata, discussing everything from the Dreamlands to the upcoming school year to Marquis on their way back. Once in the shopping district, they begin the trek to their housing subdivision before Hideo breaks off down the road he lives in.

"See ya tomorrow, Biff. Hope you're ready to get shown up by Cyäegha." Hideo assumes his persona summoning stance with a fist extended straight up into the air before smiling goofily and jogging off down the street.

Biff calls out after his retreating partner, "Just wait until you see what Cthulhu does when I'm not dying of exhaustion." He laughs, continuing his trip back home.

Entering the Ryleigh's house, it would appear that Biff is just making it in time for dinner. Asami peeks her head out of the kitchen upon hearing him arrive, looking happy that he's showing up. "Oh! Biff, glad you made it! We were just about to eat, come, sit down."

Biff takes off his shoes and enters the kitchen, sitting adjacent from Hanae at the table and across from Eikichi. The latter speaks up in a jolly tone, adjusting his glasses. "Hey Biff, long time no see, huh?"

"Uh… yeah, sorry about yesterday, was really tired," Biff smiles somewhat awkwardly, he did sleep for like twenty hours after all.

Eikichi looks in the direction of his wife, still addressing Biff, "Oh you're fine. I was once a teenager myself after all, I know you need your sleep. Ha… miss those days, haha." He suddenly turns back to their guest. "But oh well. Anyways, Asami told me you went to lunch with a friend, how'd that go?"

"Pretty nice, went to some place called Georgie's."

Asami comes over and places plates of stir-fry with rice in front of everyone, "We've been there a few times, Hanae's not much of a fan of burgers so it's just Eiki and me." She looks at Hanae as if expecting a response but gets no such thing. Hanae appears to be lost in a world of her own.

After a few moments of eating Hanae suddenly speaks up, "H-hi Biff."

"Hey Hanae," He responds, choosing not to bring attention to her mannerisms. "What'd you do today?"

"Mostly just read," Hanae says absent-mindedly, playing with her food. "Do you read much, Biff?"

"Me? Nah not really. Never gave books much of a try."

"Would you like to? You could borrow some of mine…"

Biff hesitates for a moment, he's not sure when he'd find the time to read, and it would sure be a change of habit, but rejecting her offer just kinda feels like kicking a puppy. "Uh yeah, sure Hanae, hah, thanks."

Hanae appears quietly content, "You're welcome."

Looking back towards Eikichi and Asami, Biff notices them exchanging a happy look. As the meal continues, all three of them (Hanae doesn't say much) make small talk about school. Towards the end of the conversation, Hanae finishes her food and asks to be excused. Eikichi gives her the go ahead and she bows slightly, "Goodnight everyone." After that awkward gesture, Hanae immediately hustles out of the kitchen and Biff can hear her clamor up the stairs.

Once she's out of earshot, Eikichi glances to his wife before putting his hands together, resting them on the table as he assumes a more serious attitude. "Uh… Biff. Before you take off for the night, mind if we talk?"

Biff's slightly concerned at the sudden seriousness but decides to play it off cooly, "Yeah sure, what's up?"

Asami doesn't say much, instead looking slightly sad as her husband continues. "Well, Hanae's a first-year starting tomorrow." Biff nods, already having been told this. "And, uh, and in middle school she kinda struggled to fit in, you've seen how she acts: withdrawn and… fairly socially inept. Well, we were wondering if, uh... you'd kinda keep an eye on her if possible."

It's clear that Asami and Eikichi are concerned with their daughter's well being. Biff crosses his arms, smiling kindly. "Heh, yeah, don't worry. I'll bring her along with my friends one of these days, get her interacting and stuff."

Eikichi grins goofily in a manner that reminds Biff of Hideo as Asami seems to lessen her concerned expression. She speaks softly, "Thank you, Biff."

"Yeah, thanks, Biff," Eikichi confirms, still smiling happily. "That's all, we'll take care of your plate. Feel free to head to bed or watch T.V. or something."

It feels like it's been a long day, so Biff decides to head to bed early, especially considering school starts tomorrow. He walks into his room, gets changed, and flops onto the mattress, turning over and thinking about the upcoming day. Not only will he have to deal with the difficulties of a new school like any other kid would, but it appears that he and his friends will have to face the shadows of the Dreamlands once more. To be honest, an eager anticipation fills his heart along with an earnest determination to defeat the King that has become their sworn enemy. Biff wonders what fun and exciting adventures await him and his fellow MIFAS members as his eyes slowly drift closed.


	5. The MIFAS Castle Offensive

The MIFAS Castle Offensive

4/12

Biff's eyes snap open to reveal the seemingly endless, pitch black forest, illuminated only by a singular roaring flame. Once again it would appear he's been snatched from his bed and deposited in this same foreign environment. The wisened voice of Igor calls out in greeting, "Welcome to the Velvet Room. Worry not, I have summoned you here in a dream. Well done in the formation of your bonds."

Safie steps forward from Igor's left, extending her arm which wields that same hefty tome. "Through meaningful interaction with your ally Hideo you have taken the first step to guide you on your journey." Above the book a gently glowing card appears, depicting a male and female figure standing under a raised pink heart. "With him, you have established the persona of the Lovers. I'd recommend you nourish this bond, such that your power grows greater and your future grows brighter." The card begins to glow more intensely before flying off into the bonfire, increasing the size of the flames by several inches. Safie closes the book and speaks hesitantly. "...He's an odd one, isn't he? Uh... Hideo, I mean. If you don't mind me offering some more advice for the furthering of your bonds... I'd suggest you be wary of his emotions, even if he refuses to reveal them." After saying that last bit, Safie glances at her master to gauge his reaction as though she had just gone off-script and was afraid of what Igor would say. Igor offers no such response, continuing to sit at his table with his inhumanly long nose resting on top of bridged hands.

With a nod to acknowledge Safie's words, Biff looks around himself nervously, still taken aback by the Velvet Room's otherworldly atmosphere. Honestly, he's pretty unsure what else to say in this situation.

Igor speaks up once more, "And with that said, we must bid you farewell. Until we meet again."

Biff slowly opens his eyes once more, coming to consciousness in the safety of his bed back at the Ryleighs. He sits up and rubs his face, quickly thinking through Safie's words of advice. This time around it was more of a quick congratulations, like a celebration of Biff's friendship with Hideo. "Is this going to be a regular thing?" Biff mutters to himself, half a complaint, half a legitimate question. He checks his phone: seven o'clock, about time to get ready for the first day of school. After a quick shower, Biff walks into the kitchen to be greeted by Asami and Hanae. Mostly Asami though.

Thoughts of his after-school plans come to mind, so Biff decides to eat a particularly large breakfast. One can never be too well fed when going on a shadow killing spree. Once finished, Biff and Hanae stand fully prepared for their first day of school, both dressed in similar school uniforms. The male outfit consists of a black, double-breasted coat over a white dress shirt and the student's choice of a tie as well as pleated black pants. Biff mostly chose to adhere to the uniform, but found the coat to be uncomfortable so he stuck it in the corner of his room and opted instead to wear his standard brown leather jacket. The female uniform is similar, consisting of a black coat, black skirt, white dress shirt and a red ribbon (for neck decoration). Hanae has her hair tied back with a neat bow, matching that around her neck, both undoubtedly prepared by Asami.

"I packed lunches for the both of you, are you sure you know how to make it to the school?" Asami asks the duo as she hands them both boxed lunch, worrying with all the care characteristic of a mother.

Biff laughs gently at Asami's unfounded concern, "Yeah, I just went there on Tuesday, remember? Don't worry, I'll make sure we get there safe." Biff nudges Hanae on the shoulder only to get a nervous laugh in response, as she's most likely anxious for the upcoming day.

"Alright…" Asami concedes. "But wait, before you go I wanted a picture." She pulls out a cell phone. "Please? Just a quick one?"

Biff balls his fist in front of his chest in a pose for the camera, "Ok but make sure you get my good side." Hanae pulls her hands behind her back and smiles in that regular sad manner. She appears lost in thought, only partially paying attention to what's going on, eyes cast towards the ground.

The two prospective students stand awkwardly for a brief moment before the picture is finally taken. "Thanks a bunch!" Asami says with a compassionate smile. "Now get going, you'll be late."

"Right-o," Biff says, already strolling out the door with Hanae not far behind. "Why the hell did I say 'right-o?'" He murmurs as he steps onto the street, scanning the clusters of teenagers making their way towards Makisini High. "Must be first day jitters."

Hanae quickly walks to catch up with Biff so as to not be left behind, and they both begin the journey to their first days. For the most part, they walk in silence, Biff distracted by thoughts of his after-school plans and all the cool maneuvers he's going to be pulling off with Cthulhu. On a more somber note, Hanae too is distracted, still barely paying attention to where she's walking. Eikichi's concerns for his daughter's social life seem to be reflected in her as well.

As the two approach the hill leading up to Makisini High, Biff's thoughts of the Dreamlands suddenly remind him that he won't be able to walk Hanae back home after school. "Oh!" He says, swiveling his head. "Hey Hanae, I don-" Biff's expression softens when he notices the sorrow apparent on her face. Eikichi's words from last night come to mind, _In middle school, she struggled to fit in_. "Hanae, hey Hanae?"

She turns towards him, surprise replacing her concern as she's pulled from thought. "Wha-?! Oh… uh, what? Sorry…" Hanae casts her eyes down again.

"You're fine, just noticed you looked a little worried." Biff grins assuredly, trying to lighten her mood. "You've got nothing to worry about, really. High school is easy as uh… well, it's easy. Even though there're tons of people, and a lot of them are dicks, you get to meet those tons of people and be dicks back to the ones that deserve it. You're nice and sweet so you'll have no problem finding your place. Just uh… thought I"d give an inspirational speech."

Hanae looks briefly shocked before smiling sadly, "Eheh… thanks. Um… that's what my parents said albeit worded a little differently. But thanks." Her smile then lightens up and she does seem grateful for Biff's support.

The duo makes their way through the entrance, many other students doing similarly. "Oh yeah, almost forgot," Biff says as he holds the door for Hanae. "I've got uh… plans with some friends after school so I won't be walking y-"

He's suddenly interrupted, though, by a familiar voice calling out to him. "Ay! Biff-kun!" Approaching Hanae and Biff is none other than Hideo Kotchi, smiling goofily as he spreads his arms wide, dramatically presenting his grand appearance. Hideo wears the standard school uniform, albeit with no tie and a Hawaiian shirt underneath, similar to that which he's previously worn. (Because in anime world everyone wears the same outfits every day. That is law.)

Biff grins upon hearing his comrade and turns to face him. "Well speak of the devil…" Biff's expression suddenly turns mildly annoyed, "Wait, did you just call me _kun?_ The hell? I'm a proud American, buddy. I'll speak your Japanese language, but we don't say 'kun'."

Hideo looks briefly distraught due to Biff's indignation. The worry melts into mock-poise as Hideo hardens his expression and bows. "My apologies, Biff- _sama._ " Biff rolls his eyes and eases his visage just as Hideo perks up, having taken notice of Hanae. "Oh, hello there. I'm Hideo."

"H-hi," Hanae mutters, nervousness creeping into her voice as a result of Hideo's bravado.

Hideo raises an eyebrow at Biff before patting him on the shoulder to move him away from Hanae. "Excuse us, MIFAS team meeting," He says as he pulls Biff a couple feet away and lowers his voice. "Biff, man, you told me you were staying with a girl but you didn't say she was cute. Lucky…" Peering over Biff's shoulder, Hideo looks behind him back towards Hanae once more.

Biff mockingly puts a hand on his chin as though thinking, "That's funny, I thought you were, quote, 'In love' with Miho."

Hideo goes bright-red and his eyes widen, "I- wh-what? I'm still in love with Miho! Wait! No that's not what I meant. I… uh…" Several passing students are looking oddly at Hideo and whispering among themselves as he awkwardly fails to form his thoughts. Hideo attempts to correct his slip in speech by addressing any nearby peers. "W-wait hold on guys, that was wrong, what I meant to say-"

Biff deservedly laughs at Hideo and claps him on the shoulder before turning back to Hanae, leaving Hideo to salvage his pride. She awkwardly stands to look at nearby students, waiting for Biff and Hideo's side conversation to finish. "Alright Hanae, you know where you're headed?"

"Class 1-B," She says as brief worry once again flickers across her face. With a deep breath, Hanae rids her expression of any doubt and speaks with surprising confidence, regardless of whether or not it's faked. "You started to say you wouldn't be able to walk home with me?"

"Yeah…" Biff starts, taken aback by the change in attitude. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'll see you tonight though."

"See you tonight..." She gently echoes as she takes off, quickly walking towards her class, small stature causing her to soon be enveloped by the other students making their way through the main hall.

"Damnit Biff. Now everyone's gonna think I'm a perv." Hideo approaches as Hanae exits, a defeated, sorrowful look on his face. "Rumors spread fast, ya know."

Biff turns back towards the depressive Hideo, "Hey, if anything I did you a favor. With any luck, Miho will find out."

"How the hell is that lucky?" Hideo asks, perturbed.

With a shrug, Biff changes the subject, "Well anyways what class're you in? I'm in… uh…" Biff fishes his schedule out of his pocket and unfolds it. "Uh… 2F"

Hideo grins, dropping his resentment about Biff's Miho comment. "Oh sick, me too. That's pretty convenient." Hideo leans to the side, looking around Biff towards the stairway up to the second floor. "Actually, we've got a little bit of time before school starts, wanna check out the class lists? See if… um… there's anyone we know."

Biff raises an eyebrow at Hideo's not so subtle attempt to gauge his chances of being in class with a certain someone, but with his unmatched tact decides not to make fun of him for it. "Yeah alright, let's go."

The duo walks up the stairs and begins to head towards the back side of the school where the class postings lie. On the way there, though, they're stopped by a voice calling out from behind them. "Hey! Biff!"

The voice sounds slightly familiar, though Biff can't exactly place it. He turns around to find Boto standing several meters away. "Oh, hey there Boto." Biff turns his head slightly towards Hideo, "Hideo, this is Boto, another transfer student. He assaulted me approximately one minute after I arrived here in Mata."

Boto laughs sheepishly, running a hand through his jet black hair as he approaches the two boys. Swapping the peacoat for a school uniform, he wears the standard outfit with a black tie, albeit the white undershirt swapped for a black one. "Ehehe, sorry about that, promise I won't do it again aha."

"I'm holding you to that," Biff says with a grin.

Hideo isn't sure really what to say, but his eyes stop on Boto's eyepatch, still resting gently over his right eye, so he says the first thing that comes to mind. "Digging the eyepatch, looks good on you."

Boto gives Hideo a shrewd, puzzled look before laughing it off and offering a handshake. "Aha, haven't heard that one before, thank you. Most people just ask me why I have it."

"It's my pleasure," Hideo says, reciprocating the shake as any reasonable gentleman would do.

"What class're you in?" Biff asks. "Both of us got 2-F"

"Ooh, I'm a 2-B type a' guy. Was hoping I'd have at least one friendly face with me, I don't really know anyone else aha..." Boto looks mildly displeased, though ultimately not that distraught.

"Well hell, that's a shame." Biff checks the time on his phone: 8:25, five minutes to class. "Ooh, uh, we've gotta run, actually. Hideo and I were just about to check the class lists before that damned last bell comes. See you around." Biff gives a two-fingered wave as he and Hideo continue to make their way around the corner of the school.

"Yeah, see ya later," Boto says with a pleased grin, exiting in the opposite direction.

"Nice guy," Hideo remarks, eliciting no response from Biff.

The two of them approach the class post board which hangs on the back wall, covered with various papers. "Looks like we did learn something on the tour after all: we remembered these things were here." Biff quips, referring to the one fact the two of them were present for before quite literally falling off the face of the Earth.

"Huh? Just now I was only following you, I didn't pay any attention to that tour. I was… uh… distracted," Hideo mumbles as he steps in front of the class list, earning an eye roll from Biff. "Hm…" He muses, searching for class 2-F then reading through the alphabetical list of names. "Ah! Nice, Miho's on here after all! Luck has sided with-" Hideo suddenly stops, making a choked noise. His back is turned such that Biff can't see his face.

"...Hideo?" Biff asks, mildly concerned. "Hideo, what's up? Talk to me."

There's no response initially. After a tense moment of rereading the list, he murmurs once more, "No... "

"...Hideo?" Biff repeats.

"Hell no… NO," And suddenly Hideo takes off, leaving Biff and the list behind, sprinting towards classroom 2F on the other side of the building.

"Hideo!?" Biff calls once more before pursuing, failing to take a look at the list himself. Regardless of what his classmates will think of the fools racing through the hallway, something's wrong. He sees Hideo swerve to a stop before turning and throwing open the door to the class marked 2F, disappearing within. After a couple more seconds of giving chase, Biff arrives as well, entering more slowly than Hideo did. "Hideo I swear on my life; this better be important."

Within the classroom, the scene consists of about thirty students all with their attentions scattered. Many pay no mind to anything besides their own devices, looking undeniably gloomy as they sit at their desks, most likely dreading the start of the school year. At least ten kids, both boys, and girls, all crowd around Miho. The eye of the human storm seems to be handling the flood of attention with poise and grace, cheerfully greeting and laughing with the classmates she knows well. Biff can't help but notice her undeniable elegance, her effervescent personality, and her cherry blossom-colored hair which somehow enhances her flawless features. _Huh_ , Biff thinks, _Maybe Hideo's onto something here_. Following that, though, the thought crosses his mind that it is, in fact, these students who've indirectly created the slavish circumstances within the Dreamlands. His eyes flit back to the despondent-looking kids sitting idly at their desks.

Biff pushes any contemplation to the side; he can think about the Dreamlands later, but first, he needs to deal with the issue at hand. Hideo stands between Biff and someone else, arguing with them as well as obscuring Biff's vision. "N-no… you can't be here!" Hideo exclaims, gesturing with his hands wildly, drawing the attention of several bored peers.

"That's right Hidi! Your greatest dreams have come true," says a familiar voice that oddly attempts to sound tough. Whoever it is quiets down to a whisper, "And don't worry, I'm not armed." Hideo stumbles on his words as his verbal foe sticks their head out from behind him, trying to catch a glance of who's entered. Though Biff's already fairly certain who this is, he first catches sight of an auburn twin-tail before the rest of this mystery figure's face shows. It's none other than Marquis, appearing in Makisini High. "Biff!" She exclaims upon catching sight of him. Marquis jumps off the table she was evidently sitting on during the confrontation with Hideo and runs towards Biff, impulsively embracing him before he can react. "Hideo's being mean to me!" She whines in a faux-hurt voice, chuckling.

Several students begin murmuring at the display, noticing Marquis' affectionate greeting. Biff hears murmurs of "Are they..." and "Who's he…" before he gently pushes Marquis back, holding her by the shoulders at arm's length.

"Marquis...?" He starts, frankly shocked.

"In the flesh!" She exclaims raising her arms dramatically, as she takes a step back, causing BIff's arms to fall to his side. "Welcome… to Makisini High!"

Hideo approaches from behind, speaking defeatedly, "Marquis…"

"Good to see you, by the way, Hidi. Missed you guys." She smiles brightly and turns from Biff and back towards Hideo.

The latter sighs before placing a distraught hand on his forehead. "Why the hell is your last name Biff?"

"What?" The actual Biff asks.

"On the class list." Hideo clarifies. "It said her last name was just… Biff."

"What?" Biff asks again, this time directed pointedly at Marquis.

Marquis goes slightly red, "O-oh yeah… haha… uh, when I applied they asked me for my last name and… uh… I just gave them the first one I could think of."

Biff raises an eyebrow, gesturing with his right hand, "Do you not have a last name or something?"

"Nope."

"But then where did the name 'Marquis' come from."

Marquis plays with one of her twin-tails as she recalls the past, "Well when I came to in the Dreamlands I didn't have any name. The word marquis came to mind so I named myself that."

The two boys exchange an exasperated look before Hideo's expression melts into a modest smile, "Marquis Biff… Well whatever, how'd you even get in here?"

Marquis gestures to herself, "I'm obviously a student, Hidiot. I enrolled yesterday morning before I went to Georgie's-that's why I was late-and the school was just cool with it. Must have been my exuberant charm and overwhelming potential I show."

From looking her up and down, Biff can tell that Marquis is, in fact, a student. She wears the standard woman's uniform except with black thigh-high leggings and the bow tied around one of her twin-tails' base, both additions causing her to slightly stand out. Biff flicks the bow, "Liking the hairdo."

"Thanks! Thought it would look cool," She says happily, fingering the ribbon before her tone turns glum and she pouts. "But I only had one."

Hideo interrupts, "Wait, wait, wait. Don't you need like… an address and stuff to enroll in a school? You live in upside-down world." He pauses, "Also why do you keep calling me Hidiot."

"Because you're a Hidiot, Hidiot," Hideo frowns as she continues, disregarding Hideo's concern. "And I just made up some info, it's not like they actually check that stuff."

The two boys exchange another concerned look. Somehow this seems like it'll go badly. "Well anyways," Hideo says, his attitude shifting in a manner as though he were trying not to act too happy. "I _guess_ I can't say I'm actually upset you're here."

"Really?" Marquis asks, seemingly shocked by Hideo's assurance.

"Well yeah, we're teammates after all," Hideo clarifies, speaking in a jokingly hesitant manner. "And I guess... if you want to think of it that way... friends."

"Aw, thanks Hidi. And I don't think you're really a Hidiot, Hidiot." Marquis says with a smile and a thumbs up.

Hideo furrows his brow in response as they begin to squabble, "Wha-? I was trying to be nice! Quit calling me Hidiot!"

"Geez, Hidiot. I was just trying to be endearing with my friend. That's what you called us, right? 'Friends.'" Marquis says, pretending to be timid. "Then I should be able to make friend jokes, Hidiot."

"Stop that!'

The two go on and Biff chuckles to himself. Now that Marquis has found a button to push there's no way she's letting go. Though it was over as quickly as it appeared, he saw a briefly sweet moment there, and Biff's glad the two of them get along in the end.

After a few minutes of arguing, eventually the final bell rings and their homeroom teacher enters. All the students take their seats, the desks arranged into three rows, each two wide. Biff chooses to sit closer to the back, with Marquis to his right and Hideo behind him. Towards the front of the room to the left side sits Miho.

"Alright class, let's begin… I'm Ms. Miyamoto..." And with that, Biff's first day begins. His homeroom teacher is a younger woman, most likely recently out of college and somewhere in her twenties. She has brown hair pulled back in a large bun, wears a purple dress shirt, a knee length skirt, and her mannerisms can best be described as confident, though perhaps unwarrantedly so. Her lack of experience lends her to make a few awkward blunders, but she ignores any snide responses they elicit from students. Whether this demonstrates a professionalism characteristic of experienced educators or a coldness beyond her years is yet unknown. Either way, Biff thinks she's pretty hot.

Regardless, school's ultimately boring and Biff can't wait for it to be over. By the middle of the day he begins to get restless, unused to the concept of sitting in one room for the entirety of the day, and during the class preceding lunch, he and Marquis spend most of the time passing notes back and forth. The secretive communication bothers Hideo, and he begins trying to look over either of their shoulders to see. Eventually, Biff passes a note to Marquis that causes her to snicker, and Hideo can't take it anymore.

"Psst, I know you two are talking about me."

Biff stifles a laugh, "Pay attention Hideo, the teacher's talking."

Lunchtime comes around and the three MIFAS members circle up for their break, staying in the classroom and rotating some desks to form a triangle. They discuss their thoughts on the day's teachers until Marquis glances behind Hideo before changing the subject and speaking with a devilish grin, "So… Hidi... Biff was telling me about that Miho girl…"

Hideo gives Biff an exasperated glare, "Damnit Biff."

"Sorry Hidi, thought she'd want to know," Biff says, running a hand through his hair and chuckling unapologetically.

"Apology not accepted." Hideo crosses his arms, feigning offense. "And I don't like being called Hidi."

Marquis continues, leaning across the desk towards Hideo, "He said something about you being 'in love.'"

Hideo goes bright red, "I-I'm not 'in love, that was a joke, geez."

"That's not what you said this morning, though," Biff throws in, eliciting a panicked look from Hideo, like an animal backed into a corner. "I'm just saying…"

"Wh- I-" Hideo gets flustered and quickly glances behind himself at Miho, who sits eating with a fairly large group of students. "That was just a slip of the tongue, come on. Y-you know how it is, Biff."

"Ah, young love," Marquis muses, clasping her hands over her heart. "Truly the most vibrant part of a man's youth. I can't believe how quickly our little Hideo is growing up."

Hideo rolls his eyes at her, "Ah, piss off."

"Ooh, that reminds me!" She exclaims, slamming her hands on the desk. "We're still on for a little, ah, 'Dreamlands excursion,' today, right?"

"How does that remind you…? And also keep your voice down," Hideo says, hastily looking around to make sure no one heard Marquis mention the Dreamlands.

Biff turns to Marquis, "Yeah, of course, as long as you're still up for it, Hidi. We need a unanimous decision if we're going in."

"Me?" Hideo asks, smiling cockily and leaning back, dropping his unfounded paranoia. "Of course I am. I've been non-stop thinking about all the cool fighting… uh… things that I'll be doing."

"Shadows are no laughing matter, Hidi," Marquis warns ominously, waving her arms to make a point. "They'll stab you and freeze you and burn you alive, and then they'll cut you up and eat you, and then the-"

Biff interrupts her rant, "Then after school it is."

And after school it was. At the end of an uneventful second half of the day, the three members of MIFAS walk out of the class together, planning to wait for a little while before entering the practice building so as to avoid being spotted. As Hideo begins to exit behind Biff and Marquis, though, he's stopped by a familiarly amiable voice. "Oh, hey Kotchi."

He flinches in surprise, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, recognizing the call as Miho. Playing it cool, Hideo turns around to find that he was correct, yet is still mildly startled nonetheless, "H-hey there."

Miho smiles at him in such a genuine manner that it feels like his heart's jumped into his throat. "Just wanted to make sure your first day went off without a hitch, found everything alright?"

"Yeah, um," Hideo scratches the back of his neck, looking for words, "Yeah it's been great so far, thanks for asking." He glances behind her to see the group of students she'd come from staring back at him, girls giggling among themselves, guys sharing mildly concerned looks.

"No problem, if you need anything I'm more than happy to help, I'm class president after all, aha."

"Well thanks, ha, glad to know I've got someone rooting for me." There's a brief silence before Hideo continues, "Actually wait, I never got your last name, that Akito guy only called you Miho."

"Fuiji," She says, "But feel free to just call me Miho."

"And you can call me Hideo." Hideo grins, feeling like he's making some decent headway.

"I won't keep you too long, looked like you and your friends were headed somewhere," Miho says, laughing gently. "That Marquis is an odd one, huh?"

"Oh," Hideo frowns, disappointed that their conversation's already wrapping up. He wipes away the worry, though, with another confident grin despite him stuttering briefly, "Y-yeah, hah, you don't know the half of it."

"Well take care, Hideo. See you tomorrow."

"Right back at ya," Hideo says, turning and stepping out the door to find Biff and Marquis waiting just outside and giving him eager looks.

"So…" Biff says with a wink, "We saw you were gone and came back looking, couldn't help bu-"

Hideo interrupts him, going red and raising an arm defensively. "N-nothing, geez. She was just saying hi, you guys never drop anything."

Marquis punches Hideo on the shoulder, "'Just saying hi,' you get 'em. Now enough of Hideo's love life, to the Dreamlands!" She hops around on her toes, eagerly anticipating what's to come.

After about an hour of loitering in the school's back hall across from the practice building, people have finally become scarce enough that they can slip in undetected. The three stealthily cross the barren courtyard, carefully watching out for any teachers or students that may still be wandering the school. Once inside the practice building, though, they're safe to drop their guards despite the row of windows facing the school due to the shades being drawn, blocking out any light.

They move in silence until Biff suddenly stops, "Guys. Wait." Marquis and Hideo quickly turn around, on guard for any possible shadows, but rather find Biff to be staring at the drawn blinds and looking very, very concerned.

"What's up Biff?" Hideo says, unsure what the issue here is.

"The blinds," Biff specifies. "They weren't down before."

Hideo doesn't understand his point for a moment until it clicks. "Oh… Oh! That means…. The school knows about the rift. I didn't even consider that."

Biff nods slowly, giving his partners an apprehensive look, "The real question is just how much do they know?"

There's a long moment of silence as all three of them contemplate the connotations of this unprecedented issue. All three of them, that is, except for Marquis, who just looks antsy. After she feels that the tense moment has passed, she can't take it anymore. "We can worry about this stuff later, it's time for fun stuff! Let's kill some shadows."

Biff rubs the back of his neck and chuckles, "Yeah, you're right, let's go. Can't get our heads out of the game before it's even started."

"WOO!" Marquis shouts, hopping up and running towards the closet containing the portal to the Dreamlands, purple light still beaming out of the darkened frame.

Hideo sighs as he and Biff follow her, "Geez, you were just telling me how dangerous shadows are..."

The three of them now stand before the gently floating rift, that same familiar mix of anxious feelings welling up inside their hearts. "Hey, Marquis…" Biff murmurs, transfixed by the light. "Why do these things make me feel so weird."

"Something about the Dreamlands being made of emotions or something," She mutters in response, similarly mesmerized. "You guys ready?" Once again, without waiting for a response, she touches it with a finger, flooding the visible world with light and drowning out all else.

After the sensation of the ground shifting and flipping under him concludes, Biff awakens again in the same dismal alley that this whole adventure began in.

"Ooh, this takes me back," Marquis says cheerily, "Hideo! This is where we first met, ah good times."

Hideo approaches his scythe, untouched since their venture on Tuesday, "What a heart-warming day that was," He sarcastically quips. "I'd do it all again if I- WHOA, MARQUIS WHAT'RE YOU DOING?"

Marquis flinches and turns around, head stuck within the school uniform top she was in the middle of tugging off. "Getting combat ready," She states plainly, muffled slightly by the cloth. For some reason, Marquis elected to change right in the middle of the alley, in full view of Biff and Hideo.

"W-well have some decency, d-do it around the corner I mean, come on." Hideo raises a hand to avoid seeing Marquis unclothed.

"I really don't mind," Biff says mostly to himself, arms crossed, eliciting a glare from Hideo.

Marquis ignores any qualms about the situation and continues undressing, revealing that she was wearing combat attire under her school uniform the whole time. She drops her pants to reveal the same on the bottom, now dressed in the black tactical vest and shorts she's accustomed to. In order to complete the outfit, Marquis changes out of her dress shoes and stockings, back into combat boots.

"O-oh," Hideo stutters as he drops his hand, fazed by the close call. "...Nevermind then."

Dumping her uniform in a pile on the ground (which due to the dirty village surroundings is a pretty questionable deed), she stoops over and picks up her belt from on top of a pile of knives set on the ground. "I saw you guys put your stuff here so I did too. That way we could get ready as a team!" She says with a cheery smile, failing to notice the awkward atmosphere.

Biff frowns, mildly disappointed. He walks next to Marquis and picks up his bat, holding the barrel with his off hand. "You're the only one getting ready here. Well anyways, are we all good to go?"

Hideo rests his scythe over his shoulder as Marquis begins sticking knives in her thigh holster, belt sheaths, and bandolier, numbering six in total. "Yeah boss," Hideo says with a grin, "It's go time."

"Yeah! Go time!" Marquis cheers.

"That's what I just said."

Biff turns towards the exit of the alley and speaks over his shoulder, "Then let's invade a castle. It's go time."

"You guys can't just steal my catchphrase. Well… that was going to be my catchphrase," Hideo pouts pathetically.

"Part two! MIFAS kills everybody!" Marquis raises her fists into the air and runs to where the alleyway intersects with the road, peering out and searching the village for guards. She lowers her voice to a hoarse whisper, "All clear. Move up."

Biff and Hideo walk past her, ignoring the attempt at stealth. Their surroundings are as depressing as they remember it, complete with villagers milling about and working miserably as the scent of farm animals wafts through the air. This time, though, many of the shadow-students give the trio uncomfortable looks as they draw near but refrain from saying anything, instead opting to just pick up their pace to get away. "Well, they recognize us at least. Nice to see friendly faces," Biff quips. A couple walking hand-in-hand passes them and cast their eyes away, avoiding Biff's stare. "Howdy," He says dryly, provoking the male to protectively put his arm around his girl as they both withdraw. Biff scowls, remembering once more that these desolate shadows are, in fact, the reflections of students; students who he was interacting with only an hour beforehand. His face clouds over, heart heavy with the burden of fixing this all. "Let's go." Hideo and Marquis nod solemnly as they all take off jogging towards the castle.

The King's grand fortress sits at the top of a tall hill, the clear way up being a winding paved path that curves back and forth as it approaches the stronghold. Exiting the village and walking the sinuous road, Biff and his group have yet to encounter any shadows other than the students. Finally arriving in front of the castle, the scale is made truly evident. Overbearing turrets stretch far into the multi-colored sky as a deep moat cuts down into the ground, a sealed drawbridge being the only evident way across. In between the turrets and containing the bridge, towering ramparts stand firmly, appearing almost redundant considering the massive wall surrounding the village. Besides this surreal bastion serving as a constant reminder of the dreary state of the Makisini students' psyches, what's truly odd is the fact that no knight shadows are anywhere to be found, their absence putting Biff greatly on guard for an ambush.

"Damn…" Hideo mutters, turning to notice the view behind them. The elevated position on the hill grants vision of the entire village as well as far past the wall enclosing it. Tended farmland spreads far in all directions, populated only by scattered cottages. In many places, the land is interrupted by one of many hills that define this area's geography. Eventually, farm gives way to wilderness, and a woodland begins to take root in the distance, quickly becoming extremely dense only slightly further in. In all, the natural landscape is comprised of that shimmering, glass-like material, once again creating a dream-like atmosphere as the chromatic sky reflects off of it.

"Yeah…" Biff says distractedly, busy being deep in thought. "Ya know, _he_ probably knows we're here. The other day, that King mentioned he 'felt something come through the rift...'"

As if on cue, a familiarly booming voice rings out, overlapped by a deeper, distorted undertone. "No respect for your betters, I see." The MIFAS members whirl around at the address, a simultaneous scowl covering their faces as they regard their enemy: the meretricious shadow King, standing atop the castle ramparts high above them all, still dressed fully in gold robes, a deeply malevolent aura emanating from his sludgy form. "Ooh!" He says snarkily upon eliciting such a bitter response from them all. "You damn brats actually chose to come back. Color me surprised… Especially you… what was it…? Hideo? You didn't strike me as the type to take responsibility at the risk of your own life. That is if you can even call your little game 'taking responsibility.'"

Hideo's face shifts to worry, his own self-doubt being refreshed when spoken out loud. "I…" He starts to say, unsure how to defend himself.

Biff assuredly places his hand on Hideo's shoulder, a dark determination brooding within him. "Don't let him get to you Hideo." Turning towards their elevated foe, Biff continues. "And this isn't a 'game.' Don't even start me with that bullshit."

"Oh come on," The King mocks, sneering, "We all know none of you actually care about Mata; this weird world is just your chance to play hero. I mean, come on. You two at least have excuses, but have you ever stopped to wonder what _she_ 's even fighting for."

Marquis looks mildly confused. "Me?"

"Wha-?" The King grows slightly angry, speaking faster. "Yes, you. I'll tell you what she's fighting for: herself. Nothing but a petty thief-one who stole from MY kingdom-you'd do best to kill her while you have the chance. And Biff, buddy, can you really trust this Hideo guy? I mean, last time around he tried to run away first chance he got. If I'm being honest, you've got bad taste in partners." These accusations bounce off Biff, whose expression remains steely. Marquis seems worried, glancing between Biff and Hideo as if afraid of something.

Surprisingly though, Hideo walks forward, standing between the King and Marquis. "Speak for yourself asshole."

"Excuse me?"

Hideo flicks his scythe blade to the side for dramatic flair as he points his thumb at himself, "The one fighting for themselves is me, alright? I'll become a good person even if it means putting my life on the line to kill you. I'm not turning my back anymore, so how about you quit telling my friends who they are."

Marquis advances to Hideo's left, inspired by his sudden confidence yet still speaking shakily, "Y-yeah, as long as I'm with these guys then I know there's nothing to worry about. Together we're a real force to be reckoned with, just you watch."

Biff grins cockily, stepping alongside Hideo. "Your words won't faze us, so how about we fight right now and we'll see who's the big dog around here. We know what you are; we know what you have planned, and we're coming for you one way or another."

"You little shits don't know a damn thing," The King screams in response, his voice most comparable to a banshee, once again expressing his bizarre bursts of emotion. "You think YOU are going to kill ME? I'll crush you underfoot, and after that… ha...hah… HAHAHAHAHA." He's suddenly overtaken by a wailing fit of laughter.

The three aspiring assassins' bearings drop slightly, put off by the bloodcurdling hilarity resounding through the eerily silent village. In comparison to the massive castle, the gilded figure at the top looks so small, yet his roaring guffaw seems to project with the intensity of many, many more voices.

"Hoo… hah… ah…" The King begins to recover from his emotional break, smiling cruelly down at MIFAS. "Despair is only natural. Aha… ha...I'll show you all firsthand that no matter what you do it won't change anything. That is if you even make it through these castle walls." With that last line, the drawbridge begins slowly lowering across the moat, the wail of wood against stone crying out as it rumbles into motion. "Eheh... what you fought before was nothing. Now your hubris is going to get all of you killed." The drawbridge is fully opened, revealing three burly, armor-clad figures standing menacingly within. With a clanking step they all advance at once, their approach allowing Biff to see that they are in fact shadow-knights. Not that there was any doubt.

The King turns and begins to withdraw from the castle ramparts, disappearing over the rim of the towering wall. Biff cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, "Hey! Get back here! We're not done!"

From out of sight that booming, mildly distorted voice cackles once more. "Yes, you are."

Biff grits his teeth with rage, shifting his attention to the slowly approaching knights. All three MIFAS members assume combat-ready stances, wary of any possible attack coming their way. At the end of the fallen drawbridge, the knights cease and begin convulsing, collapsing into a collective pool of black sludge that partially drips into the moat below. After a moment of volatile stewing, the puddle bursts out, revealing the shadows' true forms.

Marquis gasps and takes a step back, evidently recognizing these figures from previous encounters. Before the party stand three shadows. Two of them appear to be oversized purple horses, both with pairs of green horns extending from white manes, the third being a spindly red demon with its mouth curved into a malicious grin.

Biff and Hideo both step forward. Hideo grips his scythe near the blade, leaving his left hand free; Biff does the same with his bat, allowing it to dangle near the ground. Looking over his shoulder, Biff grins at Marquis, maintaining a cool attitude despite the dire circumstances. "Stay back for now; I mean, he's an asshole but I doubt that king was bluffing. Hideo and I've got this." Marquis nods and paces backward some more, allowing herself to survey the situation to provide some combat navigation. "Speaking of that, you ready, Hidi?"

Hideo, who had previously been glaring at the shadows with a mixture of unease and dark determination, turns to Biff and speaks with grave seriousness. "I sure am. No more messing around; this is for our futures."

"Well said, amigo." With that last line, the duo simultaneously affirm their footing to begin the summoning process. Biff raises his shield over his head in a spirited fist-pump while Hideo sticks his left arm straight in the air.

At once, both of them call out to their other selves, gripping the power within their hearts and making it manifest. "PERSONA!" Marquis can be heard expressing awe as blue flame flows out of their shields like twin faucets switched on, impacting the ground and curving around them in circles of glowing energy. The pouring fire gets caught up in a gale of summoned wind, materializing into two personas.

Cyäegha floats behind Hideo with its arms spread wide, gilded swords held limply in its appendage-like tentacles. As the persona's image solidifies, Cyäegha snaps its swords into an 'x,' waiting for a command from Hideo, oversized eye gazing intently ahead.

Cthulhu manifests in front of Biff, its imposing muscular form dwarfing the already able boy. It unleashes a seething roar, the noise of which is muffled by the barred mask which restrains its face. Biff steps sideways, establishing a sightline to the shadows. He poses, pointing at his enemies. "Get 'em, boys."

The two personas quickly advance, leaving Biff and Hideo behind. Cyäegha's coat flutters as it levitates onward, keeping pace with Cthulhu's running gait even as the latter flaps its wings to build momentum.

Marquis calls out from behind the boys, "Those two purple horse guy things are called Bicorns. The uh… demon one is named Incubus, alright? I've seen these things before and normally I'd suggest we run but um... nevermind." She artificially infuses her voice with cheery sing-songiness, causing her navigation to sound oddly Rise-like. "You guys have got this! Watch out for those horns, senpai."

Biff furrows his brow, briefly breaking his own concentration regardless of the fight about to happen. "Damnit Marquis, we're in the same grade. Also if you call me senpai again I'll throw you off this castle myself."

"It was just a reference, geez," Marquis pouts, feigning dejection.

The shadows respond to the challenge, advancing personas inciting the Bicorns to rear their hooves back and roar before charging while the Incubus quickly flies up so as to gain a height advantage.

A clash between powers occurs about ten yards from Biff and Hideo. The two bicorns lower their horns as they meet Cyäegha and Cthulhu, attempting to gore them with their wicked horns. Hideo opts for the sidestep, his deft persona able to elude the Bicorn at the last moment, spinning midstep and transitioning its momentum into a dual slash with both swords, carving up the Bicorn's flank and dealing decent damage, though not enough to stop the charge considering the steed continues to advance towards Biff and Hideo. Biff's persona isn't quite as limber, instead opting to utilize the force from Cthulhu's own charge to stop the second Bicorn dead in its tracks. Cthulhu wrestles with its foe, gripping it by both horns as the two fighters try to gain some ground in the contest.

Biff and Hideo's attentions shift to the approaching Bicron, galloping rapidly towards them. "D-damnit," Biff glances between the nearby contender and the Bicorn his persona is currently grappling. "No problem, I'll take on two."

The two boys brace themselves to dodge at the last moment, reminiscent of a matador facing down the barreling bull. With only a few yards between them and the Bicorn, Hideo promptly calls a rudimentary plan. "I'll get the legs, you club 'em, Biff."

With horns lowered in an attempt to impale, the Bicorn's sight is cast down, a fact the duo use to their advantage. With only a moment of space between them, Hideo rolls left, redirecting momentum from the tumble into a backward, two-handed slash with his scythe, severing the rear feet of the Bicorn at the ankle. Though it appears similar to an actual horse, the shadow isn't quite as tough, evidenced by the fact it lost half its feet in one strike. The Bicorn cries out in pain, affording Biff a chance to follow up. Biff capitulates, easily sidestepping the crippled foe and batting it in the head, forcing the Bicorn to collapse to the ground. Hideo recovers from his dive and finishes their enemy off with one last lethal slice, reducing it to a pile of rapidly dissipating shadow-goo.

"Eww!" Marquis laughs, "You guys are brutal. Now pay more attention; fight's not over."

Biff and Hideo turn back to the last two shadows, just in time to see Cthulhu get blasted by a beam of sinister energy from the Incubus. "Agh!" Biff cries, feeling the hit himself, a pronounced evil aura manifesting in the aftermath of the cursed attack. Cthulhu is respectively stunned by the poise break, creating an opening for the Bicorn to break free of the persona's grip and to lunge at it, flatly hitting Cthulhu in the chest with its horns. Biff gets the wind knocked out of him and falls to one knee, clearly taking the double hit pretty hard. Cthulhu remains standing.

"I'll distract the Incubus, Biff. Let's finish this! Blast 'em Cyäegha!" Aiming at the elevated imp, Cyäegha shuts its eye briefly to charge up a beam. "Agi!" The eye snaps open to release a fiery laser, forcing the Incubus to redirect its attention and dodge.

Biff steps back to both feet, breathing raggedly. He hollers in a furious rage, "There's no way IN HELL I'm losing this early. CTHULHU!"

The Bicorn looked almost presumptuous about its successful attack, that is until Cthulhu's mighty hands snap into position wrap around its horns, empowered with new vigor. "Evil touch!" Biff commands, inciting Cthulhu to stare intensely at the shadow, glowing red eyes creating a terrifying image for the seized Bicorn, paralyzing it with fear. "PSI!" Cthulhu's stare grows somehow more intense, the persona squinting slightly as an explosion of purple, cyan, and yellow energy radiates from the enemy. "Kill rush!" As a finisher, Cthulhu batters the frozen, already damaged Bicorn with rapid punches, each with killing intent, until finally, the shadow dissipates into nothing but sludge.

Cyäegha fires several more beams at the Incubus, all of which are dodged with nimble grace. As the Bicorn falls, Hideo calls to Biff, yanking him out of the sensation of victory. "I… can't… hit it. Damnit it's too fast. AH!" A return salvo of cursed energy blasts from the Incubus forces Cyäegha to evade backward.

Biff wills Cthulhu to advance towards Cyäegha. "Well, then we just need to close the gap, right?."

Hideo frowns and shakes his head, "It's over, Biff! It has the high ground! Our personas can't get that high- wait what are you doing?"

Cthulhu grabs Cyäegha around its gaunt form and lifts the persona over its shoulder with both hands. "You underestimate my power," Biff retorts as he has Cthulhu wing Cyäegha directly at the elevated Incubus.

"Wha-?" Hideo cries, completely taken aback. "I-I mean... nice!" On the approach, he has his persona charge another beam, "Don't let up, Cyäegha! There's no escape!" Now close enough to reliably hit the last shadow, Cyäegha unleashes, roasting the helpless Incubus in a continuous beam and following up with a rapid sword assault, shredding it to tiny, charred pieces that disappear soon after. To avoid having his persona collide with the castle, Hideo de-summons Cyäegha in mid-air, prompting Biff to do the same with his own.

Marquis approaches the boys from behind, "Great work, everyone! MIFAS victory! That's three shadows down, like infinity to go or something like that. How're you all feeling?"

Biff gives her a quizzical look for the very unencouraging comment but shakes it off. "Pretty good, much better than last time at least."

"Hoo!' Hideo calls, grinning goofily, clearly pleased with the victory. "I feel alive! That's a real rush, huh?"

"Coming close to being torn apart by monsters will do that to ya," Biff responds sarcastically. "Now let's get moving; we don't have any time to lose."

With that said, the trio run off into the beckoning castle, its dated architecture yet pristine appearance reminiscent of a step back in time. Not surprisingly, the entire fortress is decorated as gaudily as possible. Hardwood paneling is accented by golden decorations every couple of feet, interrupted only by expensive looking tapestries depicting the King's glorious exploits, most of which are just pictures of him oppressing peasants. The party doesn't mess around within, tearing through room after room, from hallways to dining areas to treasure stashes. Their combat practice is centered around the tactic of suddenly breaking through every closed door and assaulting the patrolling shadows while they're caught off guard. The exploration is founded upon a simple principle as stated by Hideo, "Well it's a castle so there's got to be a throne room, right? You can't tell me that guy doesn't have some big golden chair that he's sitting on right now, feeling real good about himself. So that means if we explore every room in here we'll eventually find him."

At one point, the party comes across a large foyer with its entrance doors wide open. At the opposite end, a wide staircase leads partially up before splitting off into two more paths which go the other way, both leading up to the second floor. "This very much totally definitely looks like a trap." Marquis remarks upon peering in.

"Yeah…" Biff groans, "We'll have to find another way around; I bet shadows will drop on our heads the moment we walk in."

Searching the hallway before the open room some more, the three of them come across a door off to the leftmost side. Within lies a very dark, clearly long service hall that seems to run adjacent to the foyer. Biff examines it uncertainly for a moment, "Well it's shifty, but it might be our best chance to find another way up. There could be like a ladder or something back there."

Hideo steps back and crosses his arms, "Yeah, or another one of those giant tiger shadows we saw earlier. That'd be really awesome if it snuck up on us this time around."

"Oh come on, Hidi," Marquis pleads, "We'd hear its snarling long before the noise of you getting torn apart."

"Wh-what? How's that supposed to make me feel better."

She laughs, "It wasn't."

"Well that's just mean," Hideo assumes an indignant stance, Marquis's prodding only making him more reluctant.

Marquis looks briefly worried but plays it off and laughs again, "I'm sorry Hidi, come here, give me a hug." She spreads her arms and advances as Biff watches disapprovingly

"What? No get away from me- stop- agh! Don't make me summon Cyäegha or you'll be sorry!" Hideo tries to fight off her advances, the persistence she demonstrates in her attack is nothing short of commendable until eventually she dodges under his arms and hugs him. Hideo pushes her off immediately. "Ok, ok I'll come along. Actually, I just had a good idea. Since our personas glow slightly we could use them as flashlights."

"Great idea, Hidi!" Marquis cheers, "That's why you're the brains of the operation."

Biff frowns and rubs his forehead in exasperation, "But he just suggested we use our magic superpower things like freaking flashlights."

"Good point, Biff!" Marquis says, spinning around. "That's why _you_ 're the brains of the operation."

"Aw man," Hideo mumbles, "Now my idea just sounds stupid."

Marquis continues, "And anyway, my uh… 'shadow-like' eye gives me night-vision." Thatbeing said, she marches in with Biff close behind.

Hideo looks briefly confused before he enters as well, leaving the door open to allow some light to make it through, "Wait really? Well why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

After several yards of walking through the darkness beyond what little light they had, Marquis suddenly slams her head on an unseen wall. "Ow!" She places her hands on it to try and figure out what exactly she's up against. To the touch, the barrier is cool and elicits an odd, uncomfortable sensation within her heart. "Now what do we have here...?" She mumbles t o h'erself before raising her voice, "Actually I was lying, I don't have night vision. I just wanted you to come in here aha…"

"Damnit Marquis," Biff grumbles, suddenly going on guard, wary of any shadow attacks.

"That being said… could you two actually get your persona dudes out here? I ran into a wall and can't… see… what it is." She mutters that last part to herself, distracted by the evoked emotions as well as the fact that her rubbing of the wall has revealed no grooves, no doorknobs, nothing.

The two boys simultaneously sigh, raising their shields to summon their personas in front of them. The light being cast off reveals more of their surroundings, namely the fact that they appear to be in more of a storage hall than anything. Small wooden tables and chairs are placed along both walls to gather dust, though they leave enough space for Biff and Hideo to stand side-by-side comfortably, even with their personas next to them. Their examination of the area is abruptly interrupted by Marquis's gasping and stuttering, failing to gather words in regard to what lies before them.

"I-I-Ah… ah…" It sounds as though she's having a panic attack, her breathing unstable, partially due to the raw surprise everyone present is experiencing.

In front of the three MIFAS members stands the last thing they'd expect: Marquis, or rather another Marquis. This one, though, is within the same hazy mirror seen twice before, and distinguished only by its cruel smile and two glowing yellow eyes. It speaks, voice similar to Marquis herself except layered with a slightly deeper, more distorted undertone. "I am a shadow; a reflection of your true self."


	6. A Shadow(?)'s Shadow

A Shadow(?)'s Shadow

"I am a shadow; a reflection of your true self."

The three members of MIFAS stand frozen in shocked silence. The light radiating from the two personas bathe Marquis and her shadow in a dull blue glow. Within the mirror, Biff and Hideo can't see their own reflections or that of their personas, the gray haze obscuring all but the shadow, creating the image of an empty microcosm inhabited only by Marquis rather than a reflective surface.

The two Marquises stare wordlessly at each other; the fake smiling cockily, the real clutching her chest, heart racing as she struggles to gather words. "I-I… ah… I… I TOLD YOU SO!" She shouts, thrusting her hands into the air and spinning towards her cohorts. "YES! I told you I would get a persona and you didn't believe me! YES!" Overwhelmed with a hysterical joy, Marquis boldly extends her fist before turning it upward at a ninety-degree angle, reenacting the summoning technique she had practiced before. "PERSONA!" Suddenly ceasing all elation, Marquis ponders for a moment, her demeanor conveying more of an introspection than excitability. "But if that's my shadow…" She touches her hand over her one glowing, yellow eye. "Then that means I'm not one…" Biff and Hideo remain tensely silent, fully aware of what a rampaging shadow is capable of. They offer no response as Marquis continues, pointing a finger behind herself in a gesture towards the mirror. "Y-yeah… yeah! That's my shadow! I… guys, I'm human!" Tears of relief begin to well up in Marquis's eyes as she turns back around to confirm this fact.

"Oh, Marquis…" The shadow says in a mock-sympathetic tone upon making eye contact. "Now we both know that that maybe kinda isn't true."

Hearing the slightly distorted voice typical of this world's denizens, Hideo feels a chill down his spine as he flashes back to his own shadow encounter. If this shadow acts more akin to his own rather than Biff's, well, Hideo feels nothing but empathy for Marquis's upcoming plight. And judging by its demeaning, mocking tone, things aren't looking good. "Marquis…" He starts, searching for the right words to inspire her, something to help her withstand the pain of facing her own hidden hopelessness. Nothing much comes to mind. "...Stay strong. I'm sorry..." Biff does nothing besides staying vigilant and solemnly silent.

Marquis doesn't respond, instead contorting her face into hostile confusion as she reacts to the shadow's accusations. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean? You're a shadow. People have shadows. That means I'm a people. Wait, or is it 'I'm a person'?" She says this last bit to herself, getting briefly distracted.

Shadow Marquis rolls its eyes. The third time it talks, it now becomes apparent that its manner of speaking like Marquis is rather exaggerated. That is, Marquis normally speaks slightly gruffly, in contrast to the higher, airy tone her voice takes on. The shadow appears to be exaggerating this quirk as though it were trying to parody her. "Puh-lease. Marquis, come on. You know what shadows are: Something about hidden emotions and hopelessness. You were awfully vague in your description."

Marquis flinches at hearing her own words spit back at her, causing her to falter. "Uwa- I..."

The shadow curves its lips slightly upward as it continues, "Nevermind that, what matters is that they're born of cognition. And last time I checked you're a conscious being. With cognition. And emotions… And hopelessness..."

"I… stop it, you. Y-you can't trick me with your shadow mind games. Ha… heh… I-I still don't know what I am. It's undecided! I could be human!" Marquis smiles worriedly in an attempt to brush off what her shadow is suggesting.

"Please. You can't claim to want to understand what you are then immediately brush off the truth that's right in front of you. Let's face it…"

"N-no stop it, I-I'm an amnesia person. I mean a… uh, I can't think of the word. Amneshack?" She cringes, getting back on point. "B-but you don't know anything! You're me and I know nothing so you know nothing." At this point, Marquis is panicking and gripping her head, barely making sense as she furiously tries to ignore her creeping doubts. The manner of her existence is one she's thought over greatly in the past, in her great periods of isolation. Regardless, though, it's a subject with a clear answer: one she'd rather try and ignore.

Her shadow once more ignores any qualms she may have, "...You seemingly came into existence in the Dreamlands with no memories or clues to your life besides an understanding of two worlds. Almost like you were created here..."

"S-stop, please..." Marquis has dropped any attempts at sounding tough, her plea coming across as wholly vulnerable.

"No clues, that is, except your one glowing eye; a telltale sign of… one of them. Or should I say us? Come on, it's obvious, Marquis…"

"NO!"

"You're a shadow; there's no way around it. A pitiful shadow born of someone else's mind, destined only to be overcome, killed, or go berserk. After all, shadows have never proven to be too stable."

Her other self-speaks the truth. The truth regardless of what she wants to believe. These claims are, of course, all just logical speculation that Marquis attempted to ignore. She falls to her knees, covering her face and shaking.

Previously saying nothing, Biff impulsively steps forward upon her collapse, intending to help. Hideo puts a hand on Biff's shoulder to stop him. "Biff… we… we need to leave her be."

"Hideo, she needs us there right now. Let's get her out of here before things get worse... Honestly... I don't know if Marquis can handle this right now." In saying so, Biff glances once more towards his fallen friend and her shadow.

Hideo casts his eyes downward, a guilty expression plastered across his face, "No… no I… she needs to face this herself. I... know what it's like to lie to yourself…"

Biff grimaces, at once understanding Hideo's relation to the situation, "Hideo…"

He makes eye contact with Biff once more. "We're here for her, but this is Marquis's fight. She can handle this, she's one stubborn bastard… heh…"

From her kneeling position, Marquis rests with her face concealed by hands, unable to hold back tears anymore. "Damnit... Hideo and… Biff are watching me… get it together." She mumbles to herself between sobs. Her break in poise causes her to remember her earlier comment that the King's emotional nature must be because he's made of emotions. The connection between her current state and another shadow's fragile psyche causes a fresh wave of doubts to wash over her, wracking her body with sobs. "Please…" She whispers, unable to muster much more voice. "Not here…" Between her fingers and through her tear-filled eyes, Marquis turns and glances back at Biff and Hideo, catching sight of the two of them looking concerned yet understanding. "...Damnit."

"What?" Her shadow spits, raising its voice once more despite Marquis's vulnerable fallen state. "You're pathetic, weak, depressing, uh…" Shadow Marquis counts the derogatory adjectives on its fingers. "...pitiful… ooh! Deplorable. That's a good one." It grins at the two boys before looking down at Marquis again. "Wow, they're really gonna' hate you for this one. Now you've done it, buddy.."

Marquis freezes, tears suddenly running dry, self-pity replaced by fear of her shadow's continuation as a knot forms in the back of her throat. "Huh..?"

"What kind of 'assassination squad' would want such a weak, annoying, 'deplorable' teammate. I mean, come on, you're probably a shadow for crying out loud. That's, like, their enemy!"

Marquis slowly moves her hands from her face, looking up at her other self as stagnant tears glisten in her eyes.

"That's what you were thinking, right? I'm right, aren't I?" Shadow Marquis grins cruelly. "Of course I am. I'm you after all."

"P-please…" Marquis murmurs to herself, head shaking back and forth.

"You're afra~~id..." The shadow says sing-songily; a weird articulation given its satirically gruff voice. "...That they're going to leave you. That you'll be all alone again."

Marquis sobs once, desperately trying to bottle the emotions in a futile attempt to save face.

"You were alone for so long, Marquis. Alone and lost in this veritable wasteland of hollow beauty; it's hard to enjoy your surroundings without some semblance of meaning. Of course, you weren't trapped here per se, but the real world was no better, huh? Seeing all those actual people living actual lives with actual happiness and actual bonds. Well, I'd say that sucked even more, considering you were an outsider looking in, like a drifter peering into a nice and comfy home on a freezing winter night. At least in the Dreamlands you could pretend like you were having fun killing and burglarizing shadows."

Marquis heaves her shoulders, bending further forward as though bowing to the shadow in order to hide her face. She flashes back to the countless nights blankly staring at the chromatic evening sky, devoid of all feeling. All feeling except soul-sucking, silent isolation, broken only by Marquis's seemingly eccentric comments to herself, a habit carried over into her interactions with Biff and Hideo. "Biff... Hideo…"

Her shadow interrupts before she can even begin to pity herself, "Aw, Marquis, you poor thing. Once those two showed up, though, you got real lucky. You needed someone, anyone that would give you the light of day. And then you immediately led them into a deathtrap. Surely they weren't going to come back after that shit show, how could they? So you worried and you worried and you elected to find them in the real world. You can't stand to be alone anymore, because when you are, well, that's when it gets bad… oh, I meant the self-hatred, that is. After all, that's exactly why you joined their school only a day after meeting: so you could stay as close as possible to the only people that have ever been more than just strangers or shadows. But you know this, and it makes you feel needy and shitty and worthless. These doubts just swirl in your head, don't they? You think… no, you _know_ they must be looking down on you for acting so weak; they see right through you. Well, that makes you even more afraid of being abandoned which makes you continue to fall apart on the inside. It's a vicious cycle, huh? HUH?"

The shadow demands an answer. During the whole of the monologue, Marquis had offered no such response besides sobbing convulsions and tears poured before her true self.

"You're hopeless," Shadow-Marquis mocks. "Actually, I think it'd be more appropriate to say you've lost all hope. Look at you: a downward spiral of despair."

Biff and Hideo can't take it anymore; their friend has fallen apart and can't be put together without a helping hand to guide the pieces. Personas glowing gently behind them, the two boys simultaneously take a step forward, affirming their resolve. Hideo speaks first, "Marquis… you're not done yet. I… We're here for you; both of us right behind you and we're not leaving. I mean, you told us yourself: everyone has a shadow. These feelings are only… well… human. I know what you're going through, but right now, right here you have to decide whether you'll let your darkness define you..."

Biff raises his voice as Hideo attempts to gather more words. He clenches a fist, grinning cockily to try and inspire his friend in their time of frailty. "Marquis, you idiot. We don't give a damn whether or not you're a shadow or a half shadow or anywhere in between. None of those things matter at all considering, to us, you're just Marquis."

"Just… Marquis…?" She echoes, raising her head and turning towards the two boys, utter vulnerability plastered across her face and residual tears welling up before slowly dripping down her cheek.

"Yeah, just eccentric, inspiring, mysterious Marquis. Whether or not you're a shadow doesn't change that at all, we told you this before, remember? And I think I speak for the both of us when I say I'm glad you came to Makisini. We like you; you're more than fun to be around, and considering we've already fought to the brink of death together why would we want to see you less? I can only imagine how boring school would be if the only person I knew was this asshole." Biff jabs a thumb at Hideo, eliciting a sad smile from Marquis and the start of a retort from the victim. "You're just worrying yourself for no reason here. We all have our issues and our own doubts, we'd never think less of you for expressing that, honestly it's brave." Biff's visage melts to a melancholic seriousness as he stares down at Marquis. "But you know what isn't brave? Letting this guy," He points at the shadow, "push you around. You've got to be brave. Get up, Marquis; show 'em who's boss. Hideo said it well: Don't let it define you."

Marquis's eyebrows curl up once more in guilty concern before furrowing in a newfound determination. "Y-yeah… hah… thanks, guys. I… thanks." She turns back around, pushing herself from her knees to a downward dog position before standing straight up and staring down her shadow. Her legs shake, disjointing stagnant tears as she faces herself head-on. There's a brief moment of tense silence before Marquis speaks, her shadow looking brashly pleased with the development. "...I think the worst part about you is how true everything you said was. Everything I really, really, really didn't want to admit... regardless of how miserable it made me. I… also think I've been missing the most obvious thing of all…" Marquis glances behind herself towards Biff and Hideo, the two boys responding with determined nods. "...My feelings are just that: _my_ feelings. I can't run from them, and sometimes I'm going to be alone… but… with them... I think I can make it through somehow. What I know for certain, though, is that I don't want to be afraid anymore; afraid of being lonely, being doubtful, because then I really will be just a shadow: made only of crappy feelings and hopelessness. Kinda like you." She grins at her other self, pleased with getting the chance to dish back an insult.

Shadow Marquis's face turns gravely serious, eyes piercing into the real one, searching her soul. "But what are you going to do about it? Are you truly willing to change? To put in the effort to grow no matter the cost? To never lose sight of hope ever again?"

Marquis gently shuts her eyes as her lips curl into a serene smile. She wipes away any last tears. "Yeah," When she opens her eyes again, the left's golden glow radiates a dull new hope. "I can do it. I know I can change and put my weak self behind me. They've shown me bravery, now all I've gotta do is use it."

"Say it," The shadow grins maliciously, "Say you're willing to fight your own hopelessness-to cut down anything keeping you from happiness."

Marquis turns gravely serious as well, drawing two knives and using them to straighten out her twin tails, both of which had been displaced during her fallen state. "You're me; you know the answer. Let's do this! No matter the cost!"

"Very well then," Shadow Marquis says menacingly before stepping backward, form quickly becoming obscured by the haze within the 'mirror.' Its voice rings out once more, "I am a shadow, a reflection of your true self. Marquis: Prisoner of Two Worlds," Over the course of the sentence, the shadow's voice becomes more and more of a vile hiss, like some sort of colossal serpent. "Show me the ssstrength you have attained and face the darknessss within!" With that last word, the haze suddenly disperses, sucked away to unknown realms as the mirror shatters non-violently, shards falling gently to the ground and melting away unlike when Hideo's shadow transformed and the mirror's exploding almost killed him. With the dissolution of the barrier, a terrifying sight is now revealed: absolutely nothing. Nothing besides the darkness further within the now unblocked hallway, pitch blackness taking over where the personas' lights end.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Marquis mutters to herself sing-songily, hunching in preparation for her shadow to attack. She looks around her surroundings and up to the roof just to make sure nothing's hiding.

Biff begins to walk forward carefully, willing Cthulhu to float ahead as he advances. "This isn't right… stay on guard every-" Biff ceases talking, suddenly hearing something wrong. Despite the eerie silence of the dim hall, for just a split second he hears an ever slight shifting noise coming from the blackness before him. Actually, in the millisecond as the thought registers, Biff realizes it wasn't a noise, but rather several.

Unaware of what's to come, Marquis continues looking around, turning her head briefly towards the Biff and Hideo. "You boys see anyth-"

Biff abruptly takes action, interrupting Marquis as he shouts, "Marquis, get down! CTHULHU!" With a forceful flap of its wings, Cthulhu quickly accelerates, closing the few feet between Biff and Marquis before blowing past her. Biff himself sprints forward and tackles Marquis, sending them both tumbling to the ground as Hideo advances, ready for combat.

Beneath Biff, Marquis begins to protest, blushing, "Woah, woah, woah B-Biff I- uh…" She suddenly goes wide-eyed, staring in the direction of Cthulhu. "Oh… OH!"

Biff says nothing as he pushes himself to his hands and knees, hovering just over Marquis. He feels his persona meet resistance and turns his head to face their foe.

Shaking with the stress of doing so, Cthulhu grapples with what appears to be a giant gilded spider with a human face, illuminated only by the persona's slight blue glow. Before them stands Marquis's own hopelessness made manifest: a horrifyingly ghoulish albino octopede. The shadow/spider/monster has a large, white, slightly fuzzy body overlaid with straight golden lines running symmetrically off of a thicker line down the center of its abdomen. A huge spider would be expected to have a horrifying visage, but rather in the middle of a spherical head-portion is a gentle, serene woman's face, her eyes closed as if fully relaxed. Half of the creature is still obscured by the darkness, though two long, spindly arms jut out from its upper body, both of which end in razor-sharp knives pointed inches from Cthulhu who has one in each hand in an attempt to hold the spider back and away from Biff and Marquis.

Biff doesn't waste any time despite the awe-inspiring, horrid beast before them. He jumps to his feet, giving Marquis a hand up as he shouts to Hideo. "Hidi! Cthulhu can't hold this bastard forever, get in here!"

"Yes, sir!" Hideo salutes, mentally commanding his persona to dash forward, quickly levitating towards Cthulhu and the shadow.

Before Cyäegha arrives, though, the shadow pushes back against Cthulhu's grip, stepping further into the slight luminescence provided by the open door and revealing more of its body. "I am thou…" It speaks once more in an inhuman hiss. "Atlach-Nacha: The Spinner in Darkness." Upon announcing its name, Atlach-Nacha slowly unfurls three more pairs of knife-tipped legs, revealing them to have been hidden in the shadow. "Your 'hope' is futile. Choose instead to comprehend your own worthlessnessss."

Biff makes a choking noise, extending his arm towards the fight, "N-no! Cthu-" Before he can pull back his persona, though, the spider-shadow stabs out with all six of its free legs, each digging into Cthulhu's vulnerable torso. "AGH!" Biff shouts, crossing his arms and gripping his own body where the persona was wounded. Cthulhu reels with the hit, Biff's lapse in attention leaving it open to a follow-up.

Atlach-Nacha raises the stunned persona, its spindly legs demonstrating surprising strength. "You will be alone in the end. All of you. Until the day you die." The pale face jutting from the head moves its mouth slowly and gently as it speaks, the articulation not matching the words being produced. With a twitchy movement, all of the legs fling Cthulhu to the side of the hallway, slamming the persona into the wall and breaking through to the adjacent foyer, leaving a sizable hole. Having taken too much damage, Cthulhu de-summons, fading into rapidly dispersing blue energy.

Biff falls to his knees, the impact transferring back to him. "Ugh… damnit…" Through wincing eyes he looks up at the newly broken hole in the wall, light from the other room flooding the dismal storage hall. "Marquis… help me up." He raises his voice to make sure Hideo can hear. "We need to get out of here… too close-quarters." As he calls out the plan, Atlach-Nacha slowly begins scuttling towards him and Marquis. Reared back with its front four legs poised to strike, its bladed appendages create a sinister clicking noise on the hardwood castle floor. Being only a few feet away, Biff won't be able to rise and run fast enough to evade the impending attack.

"Well then let's get moving," Hideo says with a grin, posing for dramatic effect. "Agi!" Fortunately for Biff, Hideo already charged up his persona's beam attack while it was en route. Cyäegha unleashes the stored energy within its colossal eye, a scorching laser impacting Atlach-Nacha from point-blank range and blasting it back several feet. "Now go away, Cyäegha." Hideo de-summons his persona as he runs to Biff, both he and Marquis helping him to his feet.

Biff brushes off and stretches briefly, shaking the pain away, "Thanks, let's go before 'spidey' comes to its senses."

The trio immediately dashes off through the hole in the wall, centering themselves in the wide rectangular room and tensely waiting. Marquis grins at Hideo, winking, "Nice save there, Hidi. You didn't let me down this time."

Biff cuts in as Hideo starts to protest, "Can it, Marquis. Combat."

Hideo cups his hand around his mouth and whispers to Marquis, "Ha ha, Biff sided with me." He gives Marquis an awkward yet friendly punch on the shoulder, honestly relieved to be squabbling with her as always; it lets him know that in the end, Marquis is alright and already back to acting like herself.

After a brief delay, the shadow's face appears on the other side of the hole, peering into the foyer. Two slender legs stick through, bracing themselves on the inside to help force the rest of its broad form through. It's a tight fit, but the shadow's body breaks the already cracked hole slightly more, creating room to jam itself in. Bladed legs firmly rap the floor as Atlach-Nacha resets its footing and rises menacingly upon its back legs, the full form now revealed within the well-lit chamber. Its body is shaped like an elongated oval with a round head on top, all a pure white color save the gold inlay and the pale, peach colored face. Extremely long white legs jut out from both sides, numbering eight in total, all ending in protracted silver knives. From front-to-back, the gilded torso is roughly six meters long, and if spread fully, the shadow's leg span is at least fifteen.

Its hissing voice calls out once more, working to demoralize MIFAS. "All systems move towards entropy. Relationships are no different. Energy is wasted; patience is tapped; all bonds break. Isolation is the final truth." The four free legs all begin swinging wildly, flaunting the blades as they scrape against each other as well as the floor.

"Psh," Marquis dismisses, laughing at her other self. "I don't even know what entropy means so your lies won't work on me. But what I do know is that I'm going to tear ya to pieces. This is for all the grief you gave me." She draws two knives and crouches slightly, prepared for combat. Suddenly Marquis swivels her head over her shoulder, glaring back at Biff and Hideo. "What're you waiting for? Do the persona thing!"

"O-oh, yeah." Hideo stutters, glancing down at his idle shield. "Let's finish this. Cyäegha! To me!" Thrusting his left fist straight up, Hideo rallies the fighting spirit necessary to call upon his other self. With a burst of wind and a pouring flame, the oddly dressed, tentacled eyeball manifests before him, swords poised for combat.

"I was thinking about making some one-liner about spiders but nothing came to mind," Biff quips, staring down Atlach-Nacha. "PERSONA!" He pumps his fist above his head as though hyping up at some rave party. Flame pours out of the shield to materialize into the muscled psycho-octopus Cthulhu.

Hideo practices swinging his scythe at the shadow, "This guy's really _bug_ ging me. There, that's a good one-liner."

Biff sighs, all dramatic tension dissipating with Hideo's second-rate pun. "I… meant something cool. And spiders aren't bugs, Hidiot. They're arachnids."

"Actually 'bug' refers to arthropods, which spiders are."

"It was still stupid," Marquis adds in, siding with Biff.

Hideo squints at Marquis, "Yeah well you're really bugging me." The two break into a heated debate over who's the one bugging who.

"Hey!" Biff barks, ending the squabble and drawing attention back to their enemy. "It's time to get serious." Up until now, Atlach-Nacha has just been standing idly by, shuffling between its bladed legs, seemingly waiting for an initiation of combat.

"I'll take the first step, then." Biff thrusts a hand forward, commanding Cthulhu to fan off slightly to the left side. Hideo follows suit and nods his head as Cyäegha moves right.

Atlach-Nacha remains silent save the click-click-clicking of bladed feet, face ever serene as it begins a steady advance towards the trio. Hideo commands his persona to dash forward when the shadow is only several meters away, hoping to get off a quick stab or slash before retreating once more. Almost instantaneously, two of the raised legs hack at Cyäegha, slashing parallel to each other in a swift diagonal to take advantage of the persona's brief period of movement.

"Ah! Wait, no!" Hideo brings Cyäegha's swords up in defense, holding them together as a barrier to block the crushing blades. Persona and shadow clash for a moment before Atlach-Nacha capitulates on Cyäegha's occupied status. A third leg poises itself around the defense, aiming for a thrust.

"Hidi!" Marquis calls, looking for something helpful to do. "It's gonna get stabbed!"

Hideo glances at the looming appendage and sarcastically expresses his gratitude. "Thank you very much, Marquis. I didn't notice the knife about to shish-kebab my persona." Hideo grits his teeth. He can't parry the incoming attack without opening himself up to a follow up from the two blades currently inches from Cyäegha's face, but if he doesn't do something then...

His hesitation was too long. Atlach-Nacha's face remains serenely blissful as the third appendage stabs down at Hideo's persona, connecting with its torso and piercing through to jut out from the back of Cyäegha's coat. "AGH! I… ah…" Frozen in place, Hideo remains shocked for a moment before collapsing to both knees and lowering his head, wincing in pain. The colossal spider stares down and ceases to follow up, no doubt feeling quite arrogant in defeating one of the persona users with a single strike; Cyäegha remains rigid, slowly shutting its eye thus leaving itself completely vulnerable.

"H-Hideo!" Biff and Marquis shout out impulsively, both stepping forward to pull their fallen comrade back.

Atlach-Nacha positions two more knives next to Cyäegha, ready to strike it down before finishing Hideo off once the pain paralyzes him. "Death… is the final isolation… Experience my o-"

"Not so fast." Hideo interrupts.

Biff skids to a stop upon hearing his friend's clear and confident voice, "What…?"

Hideo whips his head back up to face the shadow, extending two fingers while placing two on his temple in a cocky pose. "You really fell for it? What am I saying, of course you did, you're Marquis."

"Hey!" Marquis objects.

Biff does a double take at Cyäegha. _What's going on here? Didn't that moron just get his damn persona impaled?_ Upon closer inspection, though, he sees the trick. Cyäegha's tentacle body, while fragile, is highly adaptable. Hideo took the stab by creating a space in his persona's tentacled torso where the knife was poised, allowing the blade to pass through before closing the gap.

Not wasting any time, Hideo takes full advantage of everyone's shock. "AGI!" He shouts, his persona's eye snapping open, evidently having gathered energy in the downtime. With a flash of red light, a fiery beam blasts straight into the shadow, instantaneously leaving a scorched black mark. While his enemy is briefly stunned, Hideo pulls Cyäegha off the knife and backward, all while unleashing a flurry of hastily placed slashes on the three legs that were ready to finish him off.

Atlach-Nacha seethes from the multi-faceted injury, shaking violently and stumbling backward to regain its posture. Hideo approaches Biff and Marquis, his persona floating closely behind. "So? Was that cool? I thought that was cool."

Biff grimaces, chuckling light-heartedly "I thought we were all goners there. What the hell was that?"

Marquis jumps up and high-fives Hideo on the approach, cheering. "Something cool! A few more of those and this guy'll be dead in no time."

"Well nice job Hidi." Biff pats his partner on the back, receiving a gleeful look of satisfaction in return. "Now let's finish the job and SHIT GET BACK." Grabbing Hideo by the shoulders, Biff dives to the ground, sending them both sprawling and narrowly avoiding Atlach-Nacha's sudden lunging attack. While everyone was celebrating the brief victory, Marquis's shadow recovered and opted to leap at them from across the room, nearly killing them all instantaneously. The two boys scramble to their feet, backing up and wary of any more sudden assassination attempts. "Holy hell that thing can move."

Marquis dives as well, albeit to the left and away from Biff and Hideo, ending up with Atlach-Nacha between her and the boys. "GUYS I DOVE THE WRONG WAY!" She hollers upon regaining her footing and beginning to back away from the shadow.

Atlach-Nacha lands hard, bendings its legs to compensate for the impact. With a sudden swift movement, seemingly without even looking at her, a leg flicks up and into Marquis, sending her careening across the foyer and slamming into the leftmost wall near the main entrance.

"Marquis!" Biff calls, beginning to rush over to her before the shadow steps in his way, forcing him and Hideo to back up. "D-damnit Hidi… " Biff uncertainly glances at Cthulhu standing silently next to him. "My persona's too slow and… uh… meaty to go toe-to-toe with this thing. With four free legs it could kick our collective asses at the same time. We'll have to keep our distance, ok? And Marquis..."

Hideo has Cyäegha close its eye and begin charging a beam as the duo continuously backs away from Atlach-Nacha's steady advance. "Y-yeah, alright…" He speaks somewhat shakily, former arrogance all but gone. "Yeah, if we both keep hitting it with ranged attacks then… we…" Trailing off, Hideo gets distracted by a shining white light emanating from the shadow.

"What now…" Biff groans, shielding his eyes. Piercing orbs of radiance gather above all four of the free legs, slowly growing before maxing out at about the size of a softball. Bringing Cthulhu before himself, Biff goes wide-eyed and braces. "Shit, defensive postures! It's an attack! Get ready!"

Hideo brings Cyäegha in front of him, swords crossed in a meager defensive measure. One more tense second passes before Atlach-Nacha's hissing voice calls out once more. "Sssolitude is my beginning… sssolitude iss my end… Makouha." With the ominous declaration of hopelessness, the four legs gesture forward to initiate the radiant attack.

Dozens of small, white, incandescent daggers fly from the orbs of light, directly at Biff and Hideo's waiting personas. The beams disappear upon colliding with Cthulhu and Cyäegha, briefly leaving glowing circles wherever they stab. Each point of impact burns with an oddly wholesome pain that spreads across the body to leave a dull, aching sting that quickly becomes overwhelming in its multiplicity. Biff and Hideo both fall to their knees immediately, seething with the pain transferred from their personas.

Cthulhu and Cyäegha's defenses wane slightly. "...Damnit… NO…" Biff groans as he begins forcing himself to his feet, speaking between gasps. "Get… up… Hidi. NOW."

"I'm... trying," Hideo retorts irritably, pushing up on his arms and attempting to regain footing.

"Makouha," Atlach-Nacha repeats before firing off more brilliant beams from its manifested orbs.

The second wave of attacks knocks Hideo flat and nearly does the same to Biff, yet he remains hunched over, refusing to go down yet. Biff shakily stands straight up, the aching pain across his whole body begging him to fall.

"Biff… hrng..." Hideo grunts, having taken the worst of the damage due to his persona's fragile composition. "...What do we do… I…" His grip on persona control wanes, sustained attacks forcing Cyäegha to dematerialize into blue energy before dissipating.

Biff doesn't give him time to finish his thought. "I don't know, Hidi, ok? But… I'm going to kick this guy's ass, I promise… I..." Biff casts his eyes down, doubt clouding his obvious lie. "If you can move, run. Grab Marquis and... get out of here… I'll finish the fight."

Hideo raises his head to Biff, eyes wide before he squints ominously, cold determination taking over. "Wha- Hell no, Biff. I told you: I'm through running. I… I just need a minute to catch my breath, and… I…" Panting takes over his speech, every small motion spawning ripples of pain.

Biff's steely visage melts upon noticing Hideo's pain. "You took that hard, didn't you?" He grins, inspired by Hideo's own refusal to surrender despite sustaining such injury. "I don't know what to do… but I know I'm not giving up just yet."

Atlach-Nacha begins once more, "Ma-"

"CTHULHU!" Biff interrupts, pointing forward, a burning will sending him furiously past any pain. "TEAR EM A-"

He suddenly falters, a familiar voice clearly resounding in his mind. "As you grow closer to others… your heart strengthens accordingly." Igor's wisened speech calls back to previous encounters in the Velvet Room. "Your determination is truly impressive, but your current path leads only to death. New power will be required to pass this trial, only then can your destiny be realized."

Safie's voice takes over, "Please call upon the power of your bond with Hideo Kotchi lest the future be lost. Awaken to the persona of the Lovers that you have acquired, as is the fate of the wild card."

"The… wild card... " Biff echoes, stopping his persona in mid-air. Having presumed an assault, Atlach-Nacha positioned itself defensively. Realizing now that Biff intends to keep some space between them, it begins to charge up four more orbs of light.

Biff looks at Hideo's struggle to push himself onto hands and knees before back to Cthulhu again, a familiar sensation of pent-up energy begging to be released. He slowly raises his left arm and places a hand on the persona shield. Cool metal under his fingers, Biff senses the buckler respond to his touch, vibrating resonance beckoning him to call this new self forth. Thoughts of the defenseless Hideo and Marquis run through Biff's mind-death awaits them if he doesn't do something. Resolve affirmed, Biff passes his hand along the perimeter of the shield, "Persona switch," he mutters, the term coming to mind as if this were completely natural.

The stroking motion has the effect of swirling the shield's image, blurring the iconography of the Fool arcana before settling back into something new: The Lovers. A wide heart, etched into the silver metal, curves around the buckler's dome and takes up much of the free space with ornate curved etches. As this aesthetic shift occurs, though, something more profound happens to Cthulhu. Biff's persona morphs from its corporeal form back into blue energy as if it were being de-summoned, but instead of the amorphous blob vanishing into thin air, it gets absorbed back within the shield before immediately spitting back out. Blue flame spreads in front of Biff, rapidly rolling and shifting before settling into a solid, humanoid form that quickly materializes, solidifying into a persona-though not Cthulhu.

Between Atlach-Nacha and Biff now stands a man. This new figure has fair skin and height equal to Biff, yet is naked save a large, flowing red ribbon that covers the most sensitive parts. Long golden hair cascades over his crossed arms and down to about hip level, on top of which grows a small patch of white flowers.

Hideo looks up at Biff and this new persona in awestruck wonder. "What the hell, Biff…?"

Atlach-Nacha offers no such response, instead gazing down with indifferent blithe. "Makouha." It says once more, concluding the charged attack. Incandescent blades stab forth and into the summoned persona, spreading the same puddles of glow as before except this time Biff barely flinches

Biff smiles arrogantly at the failed attack. "Not gonna work this time." Though pain still reverberates from his persona to him, the scale is much, much less, lessened by the barely clothed man like some kind of damage filter. Spreading his arms wide, Biff flicks them up, inciting his awakened power to attack, no longer wasting any time. "NARCISSUS!" He calls dramatically, the name once more coming to mind. "Magaru!"

Spreading his arms wide as well, Narcissus summons forth a torrent of small green cyclones to swarm Atlach-Nacha, the magical wind inflicting decent damage and staggering the naturally unbalanced (due to knife feet) spider.

Using the brief moment of stumble, Biff turns to Hideo, extends his arm, and musters a gentle type of strength. "Keep fighting, Hidi. I said get up." Narcissus mimics Biff's motion and extends an arm of its own. "Dia…" Green energy swirls around Hideo's struggling form, filling him with new vigor, pain dissipating in an instant. Narcissus reverts to blue energy soon after, fading back to wherever personas come from.

The experience of instant healing is certainly odd, yet Hideo takes it in stride, feeling his body as though testing for lingering soreness and finding nothing of the sort. Standing back up, Hideo can't help but grin. "Two personas, huh?" He chuckles, glancing down at his own shield. "Can't say I'm surprised that you of all people can do it. Actually, the only other option is Marquis so… wait but it's still pretty freaking impressive, don't get me wrong." Suddenly, with that familiar dramatic flair, Hideo thrusts his left hand straight into the air. "It's go time! Cyäegha!"

Now rejuvenated, The Waiting Dark materializes behind Hideo, swords drawn and ready to fight once more. Biff smirks cockily, "Yeah, looks like it. And if my math is right that's twice the ass-kicking potential." His arrogant expression quickly clouds over as he turns towards where Marquis was launched earlier, "But that reminds me… Marquis, you idiot…" Biff glances back at Hideo. "I'm going after her. Can you keep spidey here busy? Don't need you to battle it, ok? Just… piss it off or something and draw its attention."

Hideo puts his hands on his hips and winks at Biff, already charging Cyäegha's eye beam. "Are you kidding me? Pissing people off is what I do best."

"I know..." Biff grumbles, already regretting trusting Hideo to get this done.

"AGI!" Hideo exclaims as he runs across the room away from Biff, commanding Cyäegha to fire at the shadow. "Hey… Uh… Lack-Nack? Um… you're really bugging me."

The beam catches Atlach-Nacha on the upper torso, leaving a scorched black mark and drawing its attention. It hisses furiously-now having regained its footing-and begins scuttling towards Hideo.

"Again, Cyäegha!" Hideo's persona blasts Atlach-Nacha once more, inciting the shadow to intensify the seething hiss. Distracted away from Biff, its scampering gait hastens, forcing Hideo to back away further in order to keep a safe amount of room between himself and the enemy.

Biff runs past the preoccupied shadow, deciding he'll have to trust his partner to handle the fight for now. "Damnit Hideo," He sighs after having to hear the stupid pun again.

Approaching Marquis, Biff can see she's breathing raggedly and lying on her side against the wall, back turned to the fight. Her knives lay on the ground nearby, though Marquis hasn't made any movement to pick them up.

Biff glances once more at Hideo, briefly listening to him degrade the shadow with more puns before shifting his attention to Marquis. "Marq… Marquis?" He gently grabs her shoulder and begins trying to rouse her. "Marquis, you alive?"

She flinches at Biff's touch, unfurling herself from the wall and laying on her back to look up at him. Tears well up in the corner of her eyes before she reaches up and wipes them away. "Biff…" She mutters as she coughs into her hand, the simple motion causing her to wince, obviously having sustained injuries from being punted across the room.

"Awesome, let's get you up. Fight's not o-"

Marquis stifles a sob, "...Biff…"

Biff had started to raise his arm in order to summon Narcissus but stops upon noticing her anguish. "Huh?" Fearful doubt once again clouds Marquis's visage

"I'm sorry Biff… I…" She covers her face in an attempt to conceal tears. No longer sounding gruff, Marquis mumbles in an airy, remorseful voice seemingly half to herself and half to Biff. "All I've done is burden you two… I got you involved in the Dreamlands and now… now you're risking your lives to solve my problems. Maybe… maybe you… hah… you could always leave me."

Biff's expression melts to a guilty worry; Marquis seemed so hopeful only minutes ago, but now… "W-we talked about this, remember? Hideo and I aren't leaving you behind. We're friends."

Over on Hideo's end, Atlach-Nacha fires an incandescent beam much larger than any seen before. Cyäegha barely dodges, leaving Hideo startled at the display of strength. "Uh… Biff…" He shouts across the room. "Biff, I think it's getting stronger!"

Marquis continues, "That's… not what I meant. Leave me here… and… I'll handle my shadow..."

"Marquis, don't be stupid. You'd die."

"I… I know, but… if you and Hideo died fighting for me… I..." Tears flow freely from beneath her mask of hands. "My heart feels like it's tearing apart, Biff. I don't know what to do. You two are… you're all I have… so you can't… I can't..."

"Marquis…" Biff grimaces. He knows he has to say something to inspire her, so he decides to speak from the heart. "Marquis you're no burden. Before I met you, I was prepared for a normal, boring year of school. Sure the fact I'm in Japan is cool, but I wasn't expecting much. Instead, the last two days have been the wildest, most thrilling adventures of my life, and it's all thanks to you."

"Uwah…" Marquis mumbles, startled at Biff's tone shift from his classic abrasion to touching concern. Her hands slip slightly from her face to reveal a wide, teary, golden eye.

"Marquis, I'm glad I met you, I really am; and though he might not admit it, I know Hideo is too." As if on cue, Hideo unleashes a battle cry from across the room followed by the sound of a laser firing, followed by the clanging of steel against steel. "You two are my only friends in this whole damn country; I wouldn't trade it for anything." Biff's expression clouds over, becoming noticeably darker. "But that means I wouldn't even think of abandoning you. No matter what."

Marquis drops her hands, now gazing up at Biff from her supine position.

"We promised each other that we'd fight, and now Hideo and I are fighting for you whether you want it or not. We know the risks, and while I know that doesn't stop you from being afraid, it's what we need to do. It's fallen to us to protect what we care about, and right here, right now, we're fighting to protect exactly that: You. We care about you Marquis, no matter what ideas you get up in that head of yours. And I swear we'll keep our oath. But last time I checked, you made a different promise of your own, right? You promised your shadow that you'd never lose hope again..."

"I...did…?" Marquis asks in a sort of half question, a confused yet mixed expression on her face. She suddenly grimaces, squinting up at Biff. "I did, you're right, I did. Hah… I guess this makes me a liar, huh?" With a glance, Marquis looks towards the spider scuttling around the room after Hideo.

"No," Biff says, smirking. "It makes you human. Nothing wrong with it."

"Ah!" Marquis gasps before smiling back. "Y-yeah… I'm a real idiot. A real big, grade-A Hidiot. I said I didn't want to give up, yet here I am… giving up. And then that makes me feel worse and weaker and..." She sighs. "I get these ideas in my head and then… ugh… but thanks Biff, you… you really help keep things in perspective. So thanks." She pauses briefly. "But now I've got some choice words for my shadow, ya feel? Some real stabby words." Pantomiming wielding a knife, Marquis repeatedly stabs the air above her.

"I feel. Now let's get up, Marquis. Fight's not over yet. Hideo and I can stab and punch and kill your shadow all we want… but only you can defeat it."

Marquis nods solemnly as Biff raises his left arm. "Narcissus," He whispers, fire pouring from his shield and morphing into the newly awakened persona.

"Woah!" Marquis goes wide-eyed, "Another one?" Her eyes drop from Narcissus's flower-head, prompting her to giggle. "This guy… uh… mm... really lets it all hang out, huh?"

Biff sighs and stands up as Marquis oggles his mostly naked persona. With a flick of its bare arm, Narcissus conjures a restorative green light around Marquis, healing her from her impact injuries.

Marquis bends her arms to test just how effective magical healing really is. "Everything seems to be in order," She reaches her hands up at Biff and clasps them open and closed. "I need your halp."

Biff sighs as he grabs her outstretched hands and leans back, allowing her to jump to her feet

"Mmmk" Not wasting any more time, Marquis picks her knives up from the floor and scrapes them together. "Alright Biff, I'm ready. Ready for real this time."

Biff nods and swings his bat up onto a shoulder as the two turn towards Hideo and the shadow, striking a menacing dual pose as an affirmation of their resolve. At Biff's lead, the two begin running towards the current conflict.

Over on the fighting end, Hideo's been effectively adhering to the whole 'avoid the enemy and just piss it off' strategy as detailed by Biff. Atlach-Nacha hisses fiercely and chases Hideo back and forth, the latter narrowly avoiding any attempted strikes or light-beams with a combination of ducks, dives, dodges, and power-slides. Occasionally he'll summon his persona to parry an attack or fire off a laser with the intent to keep the shadow from noticing Biff and Marquis who, for some reason, have been sitting in the far side of the room having a heart-to-heart. This fact doesn't make Hideo very happy.

"Damnit…" Hideo faces down Atlach-Nacha, sliding left to avoid a crushing stab. "What the hell are they doing? Shit, Cyäegha!" His persona appears, blocking a bladed leg's sideways swing before disappearing after Hideo backs up. "I'm out here risking my life and other cool stuff so they can- oh, they're coming." After going prone to evaofde another beam of light, Hideo jumps up and spots Biff and Marquis sprinting straight towards the fight.

Failing to notice the advancing combatants, Atlach-Nacha still shuffles after Hideo who's begun climbing up the staircase that splits to the second floor. Knives rap against the hardwood floor as the shadow clamors towards him, "You won't essscape, I won't let you leave..." It sibilates.

The wall that flanks the stairs-and lies across from the entrance-is comprised entirely of clouded windows that let light in while obscuring a view of the Dreamlandian landscape. Silhouetted, Hideo puts his a hand on his hip and points at Atlach-Nacha. "I'm not trying to essscape," He mimics. "I'm trying to distract you. Idiot. How did you fail to notice that?"

"What?" The shadow screeches, beginning to turn itself around.  
"We'll take it from here, Hidi!" Biff shouts out from behind Atlach-Nacha, him and Marquis running side-by-side, coming up behind the enemy. "CTHULHU!" Stroking his hand around the rim of his shield, Biff calls out to his other self, manifesting Cthulhu just in front of him, the iconography of his shield changing back to the Fool as he does so. Biff peels off to the right, running to the side of the shadow's body while his persona lunges forward, flapping its wings to boost and smash a punch through two of the spider's legs that keep it standing before dissipating into blue energy to avoid a counterstrike.

Atlach-Nacha screeches in pain and falls forward with the punch, forcing it to stabilize itself with its free legs. Taking advantage of her shadow's fallen state, Marquis jumps up-knives held in both hands-and begins scaling the spider's back, digging her daggers in like an ice climber's picks.

The shadow begins bucking wildly once Marquis's knives stab into its furry flesh. Like a giant octopedal bull, it flails back and forth to shake her off, a measure Marquis avoids by going prone, holding on tight, and screaming. As its attempts to dislodge prove to fail, Atlach-Nacha tries to stretch its bladed legs back, brutally moving to tear apart that which it was born. Due to its legs stemming from the back, though, the shadow is incapable of stretching far enough, keeping Marquis safe from any attack.

Amid straining knives that desperately seek to cut her to pieces, Marquis's face hardens to a grave determination, and she begins climbing up the shadow's back, moving to its head and poking holes in its gilded fur at every step. Hideo walks around the rampaging shadow and approaches Biff who has taken to standing at the side and watching. "Think we ought to do something?" He asks, glancing uncertainly at Marquis and her bucking shadow.

"Nah," Biff dismisses. "She's the only one that can do it."

Hideo furrows his brow and looks up at Cyäegha, "What're you talking about? We have th-" He suddenly gets Biff's point. "Oh… oh yeah. Yeah, you're right. I forgot." Cyäegha dissipates soon after.

Marquis stops at the small of her shadow's back, or rather the relative area on a spider. Now close enough to communicate, she begins to speak despite her shadow's incessant resistance. "We've already established that you're me, right? And I- hey, ok, stop fighting. I'm trying to talk to you." Atlach-Nacha doesn't respond, only bucking back and forth. "Wow, alright, guess I really do need to actually defeat you, hold on." Keeping a handhold on one knife, Marquis begins lashing out wildly with the other, slashing and stabbing her shadow until the pain proves too much and it collapses. Marquis hops off and walks in front of the colossal spider, sitting down to face its head which lies shuddering on the ground. The broad form of the shadow dwarfs her in comparison, but she doesn't seem to pay much notice.

"Maybe I am weak. It sure feels like it, but... really it doesn't matter. I want so badly to be needed, to… to matter, you know? Being alone in the Dreamlands makes me feel so worthless, and the idea that I could be a shadow makes it even worse… like… my own existence isn't even mine. Like I have nothing." Her shadow nods. "I almost gave up back there…" Marquis glances at Biff. "I almost gave up, and looking back on it... that just makes me feel weaker." She sighs, "But I don't think it matters if I'm weak or not, or if I'm annoying or not, or if I'm a shadow or not, or if I'm a burden or not. I knew I could fall back on these guys since they're strong in every way, but I failed to see what was so stupidly clear: They don't care about any of those things. They like me… for me. And I think it's about time that I liked me for me, too."

Next to himself, Biff hears a muffled sob. "Wha-" Biff spins around to Hideo, speaking in a hushed whisper. "Damnit Hideo. Are you crying?"

"N-no way," Hideo covers his face and looks away from Biff. "I… it's combat exhaustion, ok? S-sweat in my eyes."

Marquis grips her shadow's cheeks and stares it dead in the face. "I said before I wasn't going to lose hope and that I was going to grow stronger, but now I know… growing stronger isn't just the ability to be independent, it's the ability to stand proud against anything I've got to face. I can't change what or who I am, but it's up to me to decide how I live." Marquis turns to Biff and Hideo, tears welling up in her eyes as well.

The two boys smile gently, genuinely pleased with their friend's own resolution. A single tear drips down Hideo's face before he wipes it away, making sure Biff doesn't notice.

"Thank… you…" Atlach-Nacha says slowly, its voice becoming more like Marquis's than a disturbing hiss.

Marquis turns back to her shadow and draws another knife, fully intent on defeating her own darkness. The darkness which kept her clinging to her own doubts, desperately hoping to make sense out of nothing. "I'm going to prove I'm a whole lot more than just a shadow." With one final stab, Atlach-Nacha has been killed. Marquis drops her arm to the side and lowers her head, a wholesome peace filling her heart. After a moment of lying motionless, the shadow begins glowing. Softly at first, its whole body is eventually enveloped by intensifying white light. The incandescent form becomes more of an amorphous blob of energy, sparkling beautifully in the late-afternoon light that washes over the humble Marquis. It lingers before suddenly flowing into that which it came; the light rushing inside Marquis, centered at a point over her heart.

Marquis is filled with a warm sensation of calming energy spreading through her body. It's a peaceful feeling that washes away any worries still lingering in the back of her mind. Once the light is gone she remains motionless, sitting on the ground with her head lowered, basking in the supernatural warmth born of defeating her own darkness.

About a minute of silence passes as Biff and Hideo wait for her to say something. Getting no such response, Biff speaks up, "Hey, Marquis."

"Wha-?" She perks up and twists towards her comrades, mildly startled by being torn from thought.

Biff grins, "Nice wo-"

"Heartwarming," A sardonic voice calls out, familiar booming joviality echoing throughout the foyer. "Your determination is a beautifully disappointing phenomenon."

The three members of MIFAS simultaneously flinch and turn towards the stairway leading to the second floor. On the platform between flights stands none other than the King, menacingly silhouetted by the outside light.

"It may be a bit cliche of me to say, but I'm surprised you made it this far considering you had to drag 'halfie' along the whole way." He begins snickering at his remark. "And she almost got you killed again? Funny how that works."

"Halfie…" Marquis echoes, a hand instinctively stretching to her golden left eye.

Biff steps forward as Hideo gives Marquis a hand standing up. "Fancy meeting you here, asshole," He spits. "You come to dance or what?"

The King remains silent, he and Biff engaging in a staring match so tense that even Hideo feels mildly uncomfortable. But Hideo gets uncomfortable at everything so that's not saying much. Despite his shadowy form being further darkened by the light behind him, his yellow, human eyes stick out fully in grand contrast. "No... no that wouldn't be wise. I'm no fool, and it looks like your little party's gained a new power." He nods at Marquis as he says so, provoking her to jump slightly, having forgotten that she's more than likely gained a persona. With a cruel smirk, he continues his thought, "Though I'm surprised you've awakened one of those… what did you call it? Ah, persona. I figured you had to be at least somewhat tough to defeat one's own hopelessness, so I had placed it out of the capabilities of a meaningless, lowlife, worthless shadow such as yourself."

Marquis goes pale at having her own doubt mentioned once again. She casts her eyes down, trying not to let the reopening of her fresh wounds-so to speak-trouble her.

"Ignore it, Marquis. You've got nothing to worry about," Biff pats her on the shoulder reassuringly with the hope that the King's words don't affect her too much. "And you're a fine one to talk. Out of all the shadows I've met, you're the biggest of 'em all, and Marquis has been miles braver than you considering you've done nothing but send your cronies at us and run away."

"Biff…"

"Well no-" The King begins, his expression twitching instantly to a bitter rage.

Hideo interrupts, stepping forward as well. "Hold on, now this has been on my mind for a while; you keep trying to make us doubt ourselves by mentioning our shadows and our doubts but… but it doesn't work. We've already faced our darkness, we don't have anything to fear."

Livid, the King screams at Hideo, making the poor boy jump in surprise. "DON'T YOU KNOW NOT TO INTERRUPT WHILE SOMEONE'S TALKING?" He breathes heavily for a moment, his tone taking on a bitter, seething anger, "I try to have a damned conversation... can never expect peasants to be civilized." Regaining his composure, he adopts a formal attitude once more, like an indifferent dictator addressing the masses. "But, can't say I'm surprised. You… invaders just love being rude. To answer your question first, Hidi..."

"...Please don't call me Hidi."

"I SAID DON'T INTERRUPT." He screams once more, making Hideo flinch again.

Biff can't help but chuckle with a mixture of awkwardness and great concern at the shoddy exchange between Hideo and their enemy. It would almost be comedic if there wasn't so much on the line.

"To answer your question: I know you're lying. Funny, you promised you wouldn't lie to yourself, but here we are. I… am a shadow. I know the grip a shadow has on its user's heart. I know how shadows never truly leave. I know how every time you think of how apathetic and cowardly you used to be; how you aren't a good person; I know that tears you up inside." Hideo goes wide-eyed and takes a step back, making a choking noise in an attempt to gather words but failing, stumbling over them. "See? I told you. I know this… because that is what I am: The hopelessness within all of Makisini High."

Biff glances at Hideo before looking back at the King, "Ok a-"

Their enemy interrupts him, speaking vehemently and arrogantly, "And to answer your question, Chanum. There's a difference between ignoble shadows such as your friend, and me. I mean, I'm the King, baby! I'm the one with all the power here! Power beyond any shadow you could ever imagine! And I'm the one who's going to tear your dreary little world to pieces."

"You…" Biff scowls furiously. "So that IS your plan? We figured." He swings his bat around in circles, warming up his clobbering arm. "Well then looks like we have no choice but to kill ya. That's a real shame."

"Ho-oh, really?" The King chuckles with a rumble that reverberates around the chamber. "Shame it's not so simple as that. Even if you killed me-which you can't-it's not like that would make any difference."

Biff stops. "What…?"

"Ooh, did that scare you?" The King's uproarious laugh begins again, only affirming Biff's bitter hatred. "It is mankind's fate to succumb to their hopelessness; there's no way to get rid of it or even to stop it on such a scale. You three are nothing but outliers. If it's not I who invades the world at the head of an army born of man's own darkness, the next powerful shadow will do the deed. It's simply unavoidable, undeniable fate that calls me to your world's destruction. Of course, I have my own other motives to do so, so I'd rather it be me than another, but you have to understand: resistance is truly futile."

Biff hears Hideo gasp behind him. His rage burns even brighter at being told what he can and can't do for the sake of humanity. "And what are those?" He asks through clenched teeth.

"Huh? I just want to expand my kingdom, gain fabulous power. It's every king's dream, really. Conquering two whole worlds… can you imagine it? Shadows tearing through every one of your feeble cities, multiplying endlessly as mankind's fear of doom only creates more. I suppose I'd also revel in the carnage. So there you have it: My big, bad motive. I don't have some philosophy I'm upholding, and I'm sure as hell not doing any sort of justice; I'm just man's own hopelessness coming back to bite them. Like I said: it's fate."

"You sick bastard…" Hideo mutters.

Biff glances behind himself as Hideo speaks. It would appear any rekindled doubt has dissipated, replaced with a bitter determination. Hideo squints slightly as he stares up at the King, an emotionless expression plastered across his face conveying that grave seriousness he's known to conjure. Looking to Marquis-who hasn't said much of anything in a while-Biff sees something new in her eyes. Previously she had always appeared detached from the cause as though she were simply tagging along for fun. With recent developments, Biff knows this isn't true, but rather she followed due to a fear of being alone. Regardless, a passionate will to fight burns in her eyes, teeth bared slightly in determined grit. Her shift in attitude-to one truly willing to fight in order to improve-is easily apparent.

His friends' silent willpower inspires Biff, fueling his hatred for this bastard who strives only to bring destruction for little more than to satisfy a power trip. Biff drops his right arm, allowing his bat to sag and touch the ground as he points with his left. "I'll tell you fate: We've been given this power for whatever reason, and we're going to use it to kill you and any other shadow that threatens our world. I'll never accept the inevitable; I refuse. Even if we have to fight a new shadow every week, every day; no matter how many pop up, we'll fight until our last breath."

Hideo steps in line with Biff, twirling his scythe around and flicking the blade off to the side. He glances at Marquis, "I know what it's like to give up, and I'm not going back, never again. Right now… even though it's true that I'm fighting for redemption, I know this is one duty I can't ignore. I'm with Biff one hundred percent, and I'm never gonna run away."

Marquis steps in line as well, every motion sending a sensation of pent-up energy rushing through her body, just begging to be released. "I don't have a cool monologue like Biff or Hidi. But I don't want to be the odd one out so… uh… I'll just say that I'm not going to wallow in fear anymore. I'm facing my problems head-on, as myself. And considering you're a pretty big problem, not just to me but… but to the people I care about, I'm facing you. Head on. As myself. Marquis." She pauses briefly. "How was that?"

Biff turns his head from the King, "What?"

"My line, was it cool?"

"..." Biff sighs. As a fan of dramatic tension, it's pretty disappointing to him that Marquis and Hideo both are inclined to ruin any climactic moment by saying something stupid. Biff begins to sarcastically bite back, but stops himself, instead opting to be supportive in light of Marquis's own internal struggle. "I… Yeah. Yeah, it was cool. Good job."

"Aw, thanks."

"Hm hm hm," The King chortles menacingly, a worrying confidence behind his mannerisms. "Can't say I expected much more. You'll have what you want, then." Suddenly his shadowy form begins sinuously churning, expanding, and rolling with a viscous flow. The gaudy cape melds into the amalgamation of shadow sludge that he's become as two large globules swell from within before pinching off and splatting onto the floor.

"Wh-what the hell is this?" Biff braces for combat, the transfiguration of their enemy coming as a total surprise.

"Get ready, everyone! Just a hunch, but this looks like an attack." Marquis quickly picks up her knives that dropped to the floor with the defeat of Atlach-Nacha. As she bends over, reaching her left arm towards the ground, she notices something new: A small leather bracer fastened to the wrist. Only just covering her forearm, the shield is maybe a foot in length. Across its face is an impeccably well-designed pattern reminiscent of the shadow she just defeated. Though brown on the underside, the top is entirely white with golden lines running down the middle and branching off symmetrically. Four designs that look like white extremities with knives on the end stretch from one side of the shield to the other, two from the end nearest her elbow, two from the end nearest her hand.

Hideo frowns, readying his scythe. "Thanks, Marquis. Couldn't tell."

With the two pustules having separated, the King's form settles down, returning back to his classic shadow humanoid with a golden robe. The pool of sludge before him begins bubbling and spitting once more before exploding outward and forming into two new shadows. Before the members of MIFAS-to the left-stands an oversized, overweight, black colored human shadow dressed as a police officer save for a large circular hole in its stomach that peers through to the other side. Its bloated pink tongue lolls lazily from its mouth and a revolver hangs in its limp right hand. Floating next to this pseudo-policeman is a flesh-colored demonic orb covered in agonized faces and random small tentacles.

Biff grimaces, "He can... make more? Damn."

The King begins laughing wickedly, speaking with frantic frenzy, "In the future, I'll undoubtedly have to face you all. You made it this far, after all... Heh… haha… HAHA, only then will I show you what real hopelessness is. You'll see it when I tear you to pieces and you're reminded what fate awaits that shitty little town of yours." He calms down from a wildly manic smile to an arrogant sneer. "Au revoir." Abruptly, his humanoid figure unravels into sludge as though his body suddenly lost all material form. The pile of shadow-sludge splats upon the ground before dissipating, their enemy vanishing to unknown parts.

"And I didn't even get to say goodbye," Hideo complains, shaking his left arm to warm up for a persona summoning. "You ready, Biff?"

Marquis turns her arm over, examining the shield from all sides. There doesn't appear to be any strap or anything keeping it attached, just like Biff and Hideo's. "Hey, Biff.."

"Yeah I'm good for some shadow-ass kicking," Biff responds to Hideo. "What about you Ma-" He stops, noticing her extended arm and the shield attached. "Marquis…"

The two make eye contact, both expressing awestruck wonder at the premise of a new persona. Marquis feels the sensation of pent-up energy once again flow through her body like a pulsing wave trying to force itself out. "I feel… tingly…"

"Yeah," Biff's stunned visage is suddenly replaced by a cocky grin. "That's what it feels like. Your persona..."

Being reminded of her newfound power puts a wide smile on Marquis's face. "Eheh, oh really?" She clenches her left hand into a fist and jumps forward, posing dramatically, "Stand back, Hidi! I'll handle these ones."

"You… what?" Hideo raises an eyebrow at Biff before he too notices the shield fastened to Marquis's left arm. "Ohhh... OHHH! Oh hell yeah!"

"I'll show you who's weak," She shouts despite not addressing anyone in particular, most likely speaking to herself, or rather her shadow. "I've been practicing this..." Breathing deeply and allowing the energetic rush to flow to all corners of her body, Marquis mentally grasps the other self within as she musters up the fighting spirit to do so. She extends her left hand forward.

"Get 'em, Marquis!" She hears Biff shout from behind.

"You've got this! I believe in you!" Hideo's calls.

Inspired by her friends, her power is within reach. "Everyone! Check this out! Come to me, ME! PERSONA!" Twisting her arm upwards at a ninety-degree angle, Marquis's shield faces the enemies. As she calls to her persona, the noise of shattering glass rings through the foyer as a gale of wind picks up despite them being indoors. Blue flames pour out from the upright shield, flowing to the ground and immediately spreading in a glowing circle around Marquis. Her twintails flail violently in the cyclone, whose roaring winds blow hair and flame alike, the latter spiraling around its summoner in a glowing cyclone. The blue energy begins to concentrate in front of Marquis, forming into a rapidly solidifying mass. After another moment, the wind subsides and her persona finishes manifesting, revealing its true form.

In front of Marquis, facing the shadows is a humanoid figure, roughly eight feet high and clad in snug-fitting robes. The awakened persona's outfit appears somewhat similar to what a nun would wear despite being purely white. Under the coif is the same exact face that Marquis's shadow once had, though its modest robes are a bit more pleasing to look at than the giant disgusting spider. Gold lines bisect the front and back, branching off into a series of parallel lines that wrap around its body. Four spindly white legs ending in knives protrude from its back like smaller versions of those on the shadow, and its presumably normal hands remain clasped in front of itself under the sleeves of the robes. This is Marquis's other self: The persona Atlach-Nacha.

"Aw yeah!" She shouts, jumping and pumping a fist before turning around and placing her hands on her hips. "Hey Hideo, pretty cool, huh? You jealous?"

Hideo, who had previously been awestruck, furrows his brow, "Why the hell would I be jealous? I already ha-"

Marquis ignores what he has to say, instead opting to dramatically twirl and point at the shadows. "Go at it! Atlach-Nacha!"

With a spontaneous nimble movement, her persona leaps towards the fat policeman shadow-knife legs fully extended and ready to tear through its pliable sludgy form.

"Woah!" Hideo exclaims excitedly, riled up by the display of speed. "It's quick!" He scowls towards Biff, lowering his voice so Marquis doesn't hear. "Maybe quicker than Cyäegha."

"Biff! Hideo! Pay attention!" She calls, pointing to the two shadows. "The chubby one is named Bribed Fuzz. The… ball thing is named Legion. Remember that."

Hideo looks puzzled and turns to Biff. "Why is that important? We haven't seen the same shadow twice, why do we need to know their names?"

Biff rolls his eyes, "Ugh, Hidiot. It makes it easier to identify them."

"But we never call them by name, we just kill them."

"Stop asking stupid questions."

"Oh…"

The Bribed Fuzz raises its revolver with the intent either to fire at Marquis or her persona. As it squeezes the trigger, Atlach-Nacha collides, one of its legs piercing the shadow's arm and skewing its aim as the other blades stab elsewhere. 'KOW' a shot cracks out, ricocheting off the floor and away from MIFAS.

A wet rumbling noise-like two pieces of meat softly slapping against each other-begins to emanate from the ever fleshy Legion. Gathering before it is a ball of dark shimmering energy similar to what the Incubus fired earlier. Marquis extends her right hand at the enemy, provoking her persona to draw its own hand from within the white robe, mimicking its user's reaching pose. "Feel it! Hama!" Atlach-Nacha's hand twitches upwards, summoning a series of about a dozen white rectangles that surround Legion. The shadow is drawn from its attack concentration and attempts to escape. Upon colliding with the glowing shapes, though, it finds the barrier to be solid, granting no yield. After another moment, beams of light jet through Legion, connecting the rectangles before they burst outward, disappearing as the shadow turns to sludge. "Instakill!" Marquis cheers, clearly having a lot of fun with persona combat.

"She's good… I'm already impressed. Looks like that stuff about her being weak was just BS." Biff muses while Hideo pouts after being shut down earlier. "I think we're good to sit this one out, Hidi."

Marquis heard Biff's comment and turns her head over he shoulder, a wide smile dispelling any lingering dreary atmosphere. She throws both of her hands up in the air, "WOO! End it!"

The Bribed Fuzz tries to wrestle with Atlach-Nacha from its skewered state but fails to gain any leverage due to the four knives buried in its flab. For the finisher, Marquis's persona draws its strength inward, building up before ripping its legs out horizontally, rending and staggering the already injured enemy. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Atlach-Nacha jumps up and deftly slashes down with its upper two legs, cutting the shadow for one final blow. The Bribed Fuzz careens before falling with its mighty mass, impacting the ground and melting into a rapidly dissipating sludge. Battle now over, Marquis has single-handedly slaughtered two mighty shadows in the span of a minute. Her willpower and desire to change has overcome any physical and mental weakness.

Exhaustion hits her unimposing form like a wave, a whole day of running through a castle followed by the strain of person awakening-and any emotional trauma as a result-catches up and brings her to her knees. Atlach-Nacha turns towards its user, allowing Marquis to look up at its serene face, arousing an odd sense of peace in her heart. Peace, that is, not from the persona's face, but rather the decision to grow, to keep fighting no matter how tough it gets; and to never run away again.

Biff and Hideo smile at the scene, undeniably feeling proud of the way their friend has changed.

"This is my power…" She mutters as though trying to convince herself. "It's me…" And then Marquis passes out, persona instantly vanishing.

"Oh shit." Biff rushes forward as Marquis falls sideways. Unable to catch her in time, she slams her head on the stone floor of the castle. "Oww…"

Hideo flinches, recoiling at the injury as though he himself had received it. "Uwah- B-Biff, that sounded painful…"

Biff starts to lift Marquis by the shoulders. "Hah, don't worry, no problem, she won't remember a thing a-"

"O-oh, Biff, she's bleeding." A slight amount of blood drips down the side of Marquis's head. "Oh shit man, she's gonna be pissed that we let this happen. Biff, what're we gonna do? Do we take her to a doctor? Do doctors treat shadows?"

Biff examines the wound, it's not much more than a cut, and Marquis most likely hasn't suffered any brain damage. "We don't know if she's a shadow, idiot. And I've got a doctor right here: Narcissus!" He slides his hand along the rim of his shield, channeling the power of his heart into the persona Narcissus. "Dia." With a wave of its hands and a flutter of its hair, Narcissus summons a swirl of green energy that causes the injury to all but disappear. "Easy as that," Biff quips, winking at Hideo.

"Yeah…" Hideo mutters, still taken aback-yet thankful-that Biff can control two personas. "But how're we gonna get her back? I vote we drag her by the legs."

Biff sighs, "No, no. She's already hit her head enough. I could… ooh! I could have Cthulhu carry her. He's strong."

"I somehow doubt she'd like being manhandled by Octopus Hulk."

"..." Biff frowns. "Good point. Let's both grab an arm."

As the two boys lift her up and position her arms around both of their shoulders, Biff turns to Hideo. "Hey, Hidi."

"What's up, Biffy?"

"Don't call me Biffy."

"But you call me Hidi."

"That's because you're Hidi."

"Oh…"

"As I was about to say: Thanks."

Hideo raises an eyebrow. "But I didn't do anything. Oh wait, is this an insult? Are you going to say, like, 'thanks for being such a Hidiot'?" He says this last bit mimicking Biff's burly, abrasive tone.

"No, that's not it, don't worry." Biff chuckles awkwardly, frankly unused to heart-to-heart talks. "I wanted to say thanks for sticking it out and fighting by my side. Takes a real man to do that; you're a good guy."

"O-oh, th-thanks." Hideo goofily smiles, clearly contented with hearing such kind words from Biff. "But it's really nothing, I mean, persona and all… and… uh… thanks right back at ya. For everything." Hideo's smile turns somewhat melancholy. "None of us would be here if it weren't for you, we'd honestly be very dead, so thanks. I'm glad I can rely on you."

"Don't get sappy."

"Geez Biff, I was tryin-"

Biff interrupts Hideo, turning to the passed-out Marquis. "And thank you too, Marquis."

"Hmph," Hideo furrows his brow, turning away from Biff. "That's what I get for trying to be a nice guy."

With both of them supporting Marquis, the boys begin making their way out of the castle. Hideo uses his scythe as a cane in his left hand, Biff drags his bat along in his right, and Marquis hangs limp between them. They backtrack along their path in, successfully avoiding any more shadow encounters before they arrive at the drawbridge and exit.

Biff breathes deeply, readjusting Marquis's arm around his shoulder. "Can you smell the fresh air, Hidi? What a beautiful world."

"What are you so happy about?" Hideo looks out at the endless expanse of verdant scenery that makes up the Dreamlands landscape. It's undeniably impressive, yet Biff's acting weird.

"I feel good, man. First day back on the job, we're not collapsing from exhaustion, Marquis has a persona, we've got the King on the run, everything's coming up our way."

"That… sounds presumptive. But I guess you're right, it's just… you're never so cheery, usually just mean."

"Aw come on, Hidi, I can be nice."  
"Like two times ever."

As they continue making their way to the portal, the two boys argue about the extent of Biff's benevolent kindness. Eventually, Marquis rouses due to the noise, though she remains lax in their support, not feeling up to walking. "Hmng" She mumbles, still adjusting to waking up. "...What're you fighting about?"

"Oh, hey Marquis," Biff says casually. "Hideo thinks I'm a bully or something."

Marquis glances back and forth as the boys carry her along. "Biff's nice to me," She finally declares.

"See?"

Hideo looks bewildered, "Well that's because… uh… you're mean to me too."

Marquis and Biff exchange an unconvinced look before Biff smirks at Hideo. "I think it's because you deserve it."

"I deserve it?!"

"Yuh," Marquis concurs.

Biff nods his head, "You say stupid things then complain when we make fun of you. Just don't say stupid things."

Hideo is appalled and frankly horrified. "Wha-?! B-but that's just me! I don't decide to say stupid things!"

"Then that means you deserve it."

Hideo goes bright red and begins to object but stumbles over his words. Marquis and Biff laugh together at Hideo's expense, glad they all can rag on each other. And by on each other, I mean on Hideo. All the time.

"Well, this is our stop," Biff says, now standing before the alleyway that leads to the real world.

Marquis drops from the two boys' hold and steps back from the alley.

"Wait, what?" Hideo spins around, glaring at Marquis. "You could walk this whole time? Are you kidding me?"

"Aw come on, Hidi." She clasps her hands in front of her and tries to act cute. "I needed your help; I'm tired." Placing a hand in front of her face, she blushes slightly. "And don't tell me you didn't enjoy carrying me-a sweet, cute, innocent girl…"

Hideo throws his arms up in the air, exasperated, "I didn't! Your arm was digging into my neck the whole time." He shakes his head, turning to Biff. "Well, let's get going, it's almost time for me to be back for dinner." Pointing finger guns at Marquis, Hideo begins backing into the alley. "And I will see you… uh… tomorrow. I think we ought to do something to take a break. After all this fighting I feel like doing something normal. That normal high schoolers do." He rests his scythe against a nearby wall and carefully steps over the pile of clothes Marquis left earlier.

"Sure, good by me," Biff says, shrugging. "How about you, Marquis?"

"Yeah! Let's do something fun!" Marquis cheers blithely. "Let's go to the weapon store!"

"That's… not normal," Hideo sighs as he takes in his surroundings once more. "But I guess it's more normal than this. Whatever, well, see you on the other side, Biffy." Pivoting on his heel, Hideo dashes towards the purple rift, diving at it such that he's transported in midair, leaving Biff and Marquis behind. From their perspective, a flash of light burst from within the portal, and when it subsided Hideo was nowhere to be found.

"Bye Hidi!" Marquis waves curtly

"I said not to call me Biffy! Don't make me kick your ass," Biff shouts amid Hideo's retreat. "Ugh." He frowns, turning to Marquis, "You gonna make it back to wherever you live alright?"

"Y-yeah, hah, I've got a persona now and-" Despite claiming to be capable of handling herself, Marquis stumbles from exhaustion as she speaks, prompting Biff to instinctively grab her arm such that she doesn't collapse. She places a hand on her forehead, feeling a killer headache coming on. "Sheesh, wasn't lying when I said I was tired though; I feel like I could sleep for like… ten days."

"Why ten days?"

Marquis shrugs, "But I'll be fine, I know how to sneak around shadows. Really stealthy like and… uh…" As she says so, Marquis trails off, noticing Biff's grip. "Oh…"

Biff drops his hand abruptly, "Ah! My bad, didn't want you falling again."

"Wha-? Again? Did I fall earlier?"

"...Nevermind."

"Mkay," Marquis paces around Biff deliberately, approaching her school clothes within the alley. Back turned, she stoops over and picks the pile up, holding it against her chest. "I wish I would've brought my school bag… now my outfit's covered in dirt…"  
Biff doesn't say much of anything for a moment, instead looking deeply at Marquis. Not in a weird way, of course, but rather examining her as though he were searching for something. "How're you feeling, Marquis? Glad to see you're back to yourself."

Marquis pauses, casting her eyes down. "Well… I'm tired. Not just body tired but… you know… emotionally, I guess? I did a lot of crying today…" She sighs. "Back to myself, huh? It's weird, like, I feel like if I'm 'back to myself,' it makes me think nothing's changed, which is bad, but does that mean I don't want to be myself? And that's the whole problem: that I don't like myself. And then that makes me think nothing's changed but now in a different way and-"

Biff interrupts her rant, "No, no, that's not what I meant. I can see it in your eyes, you're different... stronger. Like, your heart's stronger, even if you can't see it. And being yourself is good, that's exactly where you want to be. Your shadow didn't want you to not be yourself, it wanted the exact opposite: for you to accept what you are and to fight what was holding you back."

She looks back up and grins, laughing quietly. "Yeah, you're right Biff. Geez, I'm just a fun ol' bundle of doubts aren't I?"

"Nothing wrong with that," Biff says casually with a wave of his hand. "Everyone's got doubts, it's what you do about it that counts-'whether or not you're willing to fight your hopelessness' like our shadows said. I mean, take a look at Hideo; he's like the most doubtful guy I know, but he's one persistent little bastard who's simply refused to give up."

"Huh…" She lowers her head then glances up briefly, looking like there's something she wants to say yet is too nervous to come out with it. "Um… hey Biff…"

"What's up?" Biff walks past her and into the alley, setting his bat next to Hideo's scythe.

Marquis turns towards him and glances at the rift, "I… wanted to say thanks to you in particular…"

 _Oh shit,_ Biff thinks in a panic, _This better not be a confession. I know she's quick to latch on._

"...Nothing against Hideo, I mean, he helped a lot with everything, but… Um… I couldn't have made it through all of my problems without you. When I was wanting to give up, you just wouldn't let me; you kept making me get up and fight. And then when you and I were charging my shadow, I was scared, like, really scared. But I thought to myself what you would do, and I knew you'd face your problems head-on because that's the kind of guy you are. You take on all these burdens no matter how much how much it is. I… needed you because I know that you and the power of your heart can get us through anything; even if you stand alone against the whole entire world-no, two worlds-you'd keep fighting… and I think that's pretty cool."

"Marquis…" Biff starts, at a loss for words at the surprisingly heartfelt message she conveyed.

Marquis takes a deep breath, grinning once more. "The King was right that one time: I really was fighting for myself. But not in the way he thought; I was fighting for myself only because I was afraid of being alone, and I am still afraid of being alone." Another pause as she gathers her thoughts. "I remembered something you told me earlier: that you and Hideo are fighting to protect what you care for." Biff nods slowly. "Well, I want to fight for what I care for too. And what I care for is you two boys. Like I said, you're all I have, and if your world gets destroyed by shadows, then I'll lose that, I'll lose you two... And I'm not going to let that happen. Right now, I'm fighting for you and Hideo, I'm going to protect what I care about, and damn anything that gets in my way."

Biff smiles peacefully. Touched by Marquis's words, he can truly feel her genuine adoration and passion of the heart radiating outward, inspiring him to keep fighting, granting hope for the future. As this thought crosses Biff's mind, a blissful sensation washes over his body, and Safie's voice calls to him, affirming the glimmer of hope Marquis has awakened.

I am Thou, Thou art I

Thou hast acquired a new bond.

It shall awaken the passion of thine spirit,

and fuel the flame of thine heart

With the birth of the Sun persona

Thou shalt share the burden of responsibility

In facing the tribulation of thine destiny

Biff closes his eyes as a gentle warmth spreads through his body. Mixed with the feeling of pent-up energy similar to when he first summoned Cthulhu, the warmth extends to all of his limbs before slowly fading away. Marquis smiles at him once more in her classic cocky manner, "Now I'll see you tomorrow Biff, I feel like I'm going to fall asleep if I stand still any longer, bye!" She turns around and walks away with clothes in hand, taking only a few paces before looking over her shoulder at Biff again.

"See ya," Biff waves curtly, "Take it easy, alright?" He briefly watches her strut off before turning back to the rift, bracing his stomach for the sensation of having the world flipped and turned. "Here goes," He mutters before gripping the glowing purple tear in space and flooding his vision with radiance.

Biff comes to back in the closet at the school practice building. "Good ol' Makisini High. Shadow-free since… two days ago." He pushes the door open and exits the cramped room, looking around for Hideo, finding him to be nowhere around. "Must not've waited since I was taking too long…" After walking to the practice building exit, Biff pushes through the glass door, stepping out into the brisk, early evening spring air. It's somewhat of a nostalgic feeling to return to the real world after spending so long in a surreal parallel like the Dreamlands. Really, it's the sort of thing that you have to experience to understand. Biff checks his surroundings for anyone watching before beginning his walk back to the Ryleigh household.

After five to ten minutes of silent strolling amid scattered groups of teens quietly chatting and killing time before returning to their own homes, Biff arrives at house 117. Though it doesn't have much of anything to make it stand out in the sea of copy-pasted houses, he feels an odd attachment to this particular one considering it's his home for the next year minus three days. He approaches the front door and walks in without knocking, figuring it'll be alright.

Hanae sits straight up on the couch staring at the TV, and recoils in surprise as Biff enters. "UWAH!" She cries, obviously having been quite invested in what she was watching to react so dramatically. Upon realizing what's going on, and how weird she must have appeared, Hanae blushes intensely. "H-h-hi Chanum… Welcome back."

"Hi, Hanae…" Biff responds, unsure exactly what to make of her behavior. "And you can call me Biff. We live in the same house."

Asami peeks her head from the kitchen into the living room, followed shortly by Eikichi. "Heya Biff!" The latter says cheerfully. "Hanae said you went out with some friends, how'd it go? Hope you didn't get into any trouble."

"Nah…" Biff flashes back to his day full of bashing shadows with bats, clobbering them with personas, and erasing them with magic. "Nah, no trouble. Just high schoolers being high schoolers."

"Sounds like trouble to me," Eikichi quips with a chuckle, laughing at his own joke.

Asami gives a sort of half laugh. "Eheh, well you're just in time for dinner, Biff. Hope you're hungry."

"Oh I sure am," Biff says, rubbing his hands together. After all, intense combat really works up an appetite. "I could go for some of whatever you've made, Asami. I've been craving some more Japanese food. Actually, I guess any food here is Japanese but you know what I mean."

Asami smiles awkwardly, "Oh Biff, I'm sorry to disappoint but Eikichi brought home pizza so that's what I had planned."

"O-oh. N-no problem…" Internally, Biff grimaces. _First Hideo takes me to a burger joint, and now this? Damnit, just my luck. Looks like this is, as Igor would put it, a trial. I will overcome this as I have everything else that I've faced_. After a pleasant evening spent swallowing his disappointment as well as slices of cheese, Biff says goodnight to the Ryleighs as he and Hanae exit to their respective rooms.

"Goodnight Hanae," Biff waves as she begins sprinting up the stairs to the second floor.

Halfway up, Hane stops and turns around quickly. "Oh! Um… goodnight Chan- I mean Biff." She pivots and continues the race to the top.

Biff enters his own room and changes into sleeping clothes. It's been a long day, and he's more than happy to rest, happily ready to take on whatever new adventure the next day brings. Exhaustion slowly begins to encroach, blurring his mind and fluttering his eyes closed.


	7. Unexpected Interference

4/12

"Well, take care, Hideo. See you tomorrow."

Miho conjures her classic cordial smile as she bids him farewell.

"Right back at ya," Hideo responds, awkwardly putting up finger guns as he backs away before accidentally bumping into the door, jumping forward in surprise, then quickly whirling around and leaving.

Now that he's gone, Miho's lips curl slightly downward in a discontented frown. By casually mentioning Marquis in conversation, she was, in reality, trying to get Hideo to say something-anything about the fiery-haired girl that would give some sort of hint as to who she is. As of now, Marquis is a complete enigma.

Despite living in Mata her whole life, Miho has never seen Marquis, or even met anyone with the last name 'Biff.' In that case, does she even have any relatives in town? If not, then where does she live? Why wasn't she on the orientation tour? Unanswered questions rush through Miho's mind, all of which cast a deep shadow of clouding suspicion across Marquis' integrity. _Of course, I could always find out for myself,_ She thinks. It's true, as president of the second year class, no one would bat an eye if Miho went looking through student information. Especially if she claimed it was necessary for a class event or something like that. What reason would there possibly be to doubt the upstanding, ever charming Miho Fuiji, universally beloved by teachers and students alike?

"Oh, Miho!" A girl calls-one of the students that demonstrates their dedication to Miho by surrounding her at any given time. Due to her indisputable status as the most widely popular figure on campus, many kids are ceaselessly trying either to get close to or retain their position orbiting Miho Fuiji. From Miho's perspective, it's odd to have so many people define their identity by their proximity to her, but she's gotten used to it. Her genial, benevolent persona coupled with strong leadership ability has the effect of drawing people in and making them feel like she truly cares for them no matter who they are. Of course, her stunning physical appearance helps to reach the same end in regard to just about every boy.

Miho winces internally, not allowing the disinclination to show on her face. _Delightful_. Turning around to her groupies, she puts on a mildly embarrassed expression, laughing affably. "Ahaha, sorry about that. Got caught up in thought."

The girls of the group giggle amongst themselves while the boys grumble and exchange disconcerted looks. Miho falters for a moment, briefly considering excusing herself from the room; she could claim she had work or something to do, and just walk out now. It wouldn't be the first time. Normally after class got out, her crowd would hang around the school for a while to talk or make plans for the day, conversations in which Miho reluctantly found herself caught in.

Realizing that after hesitating it would appear insulting to take off all of a sudden, Miho resigns herself to rejoin the group. She approaches them once more and sits back at her desk considering that's where they all gathered as soon as class was dismissed.

"Soo, Miho," One girl begins, giggling. "Sizing up the new kid, eh? Hehe."

"Oh, it's not like that. I gave him and Chanum a tour during orientation, just wanted to see how their first day went." Not feeling up to be teased, she quickly dismisses the implications of her peers, conjuring a trademark smile.

"I see…" The girls laugh among themselves, making several jokes about Miho 'Taking advantage of the fresh meat,' a metaphor that in itself bothers Miho, yet she decides to say nothing.

A boy in the group fawns, blushing slightly, "Oh Miho, you're always so thoughtful."

Miho instinctively smiles kindly as though she were touched, affording a moment to search for words. _What the hell am I supposed to say to that? Thanks...?_ "Aha, why thank you Tadano, you're too nice."

"Eheh…" Being complimented by a veritable school-wide celebrity such as Miho only enhances the boy's reddening, leaving him speechless.

A different girl begins speaking now that the discussion of Hideo is over. "Anyways, as I was saying, my stupid-currently ex-boyfriend…"

Miho checks out of the conversation. Effectively pretending to be involved in a group dialogue such as this really is an acquired talent which she's gotten quite good at. Amid her thoughts, Miho simply nods whenever she feels that one of her groupies has said something that would elicit a sign of comprehension. _I'm tired…_ is the first thing that comes to mind. _Is it too late to flee?_ She looks around at the group, several of the boys glancing away as her gaze pans. _Yeah, I'll just wait it out. But that Marquis… ah, I'm too curious now. If I don't do anything then it'll bother me all day… It's not like anyone will actually care if I take a peek at her student files, find out who she is. Also, what's up with that golden eye? Is it genetic..? I doubt her file would include that._ "

"What do you think I should do, Miho?" The girl asks, placing the whole group's attention upon her.

"Wha-?" Surprised, Miho giggles sweetly to once again buy time. "Um…" _What was she talking about? Oh, probably that cheating sack of shit boyfriend._ "Well... I'd recommend you just be yourself, that's what's most important. If he can't accept you for the beautiful person you are, then don't settle for less. You deserve so much more."

Everyone takes in a collective gasp of adoration at Miho's kind words. The girl in question appears to be tearing up slightly. "Th-thank you, Miho. You always know exactly what to say."

"Oh, it's my pleasure, really," One more trademark smile and they're back to their discussion. Miho sighs internally. _And she's going to go crawling back to him in no less than a week. Why don't they ever talk about anything else? It's nothing but boys and clothes and drama; how can anyone stand it? Well, actually I guess they're the only ones I really talk to…_ She contemplates that fact a little more before putting it from her mind, instead choosing to muse more upon the subject of Biff, Hideo, and Marquis as she waits for her orbiters to disperse. _But that whole group's suspicious. Hideo and Chanum disappeared at the beginning of the tour, and now they're running off as soon as possible once again... Just what's going on? Ugh, now I'm even more curious._ Resolving to find out what she can about Marquis, Miho continues her charade of reactions until the point when most of the students around her start to leave. She stands and says her goodbyes, ready to head down to the faculty office in order to take a peek at some records.

"Want to come with us to Georgie's?" A girl asks Miho. "Sazaki, Yuko, and I were gonna grab lunch."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'd love to but I've got student council work I absolutely need to get done before I leave. The new year brings plenty of new worries, aha." Miho laughs sheepishly, seemingly apologetic for being unable to go along. In reality, she's just eager to get out of here-there's not any council work she actually needs to do right this instant. Only capable of taking these group social interactions in small doses at a time before getting fatigued, Miho feels an acute headache coming on and is mostly focused on looking through Marquis' student files, going home, taking some Advil, and sleeping.

"Another time, then," the girl says, frowning slightly, clearly disappointed in the outcome.

"Of course!" Miho chirps in such a kindly, peppy manner that any of her peer's qualms are instantly cast off. After saying goodbye once more, she's finally free. Miho quickly makes her way out of the room and down the stairs to the first floor, currently facing the exit. It's been about half an hour to forty-five minutes since school ended, and students are sparse, most having left either to hang out or go home. Upon arriving on the first floor, Miho intends to head straight to the faculty office but stops when she hears a vociferous argument resounding down the mostly empty hallway.

"Hideo, I'll say it one more time: There is absolutely no way your dinky little tentacle eyeball lookin' persona could beat Cthulhu."

"What?" Miho mutters to herself, perking up and trying to locate the source. It sounds like whoever's debating is on the other side of the rectangular school, beyond the corner of the hallway stretching to her right. No other students appear to actually be paying any attention to what's going on. "Hideo…? Was that Chanum? They're still here?" She gingerly begins approaching the corner, quickly having her suspicions furthered.

"No, no, no, Biff you've got it all wrong. Not only is Cyäegha way quicker, but he also has swords. There's no way you could win."

"One punch Hidi, one punch and Cthulhu crushes your persona like a tin can."

"Nuh-uh, it'd just dodge. And then shoot a laser beam. A freakin' laser beam."

Miho pauses for a moment. "Cthulhu… like the octopus thing?" Ever so slowly, she gingerly peers around the corner, seeing the three people she was certain were going to be there. Hideo and Biff stand in the middle of the hallway facing each other down, too focused on their argument to pay attention to Miho's reconnaissance. Marquis sits on the ground, looking up at the two boys and laughing.

Biff places two fingers on his temples and points two at Hideo. "Two words: Mind rays."

Hideo waves his hand dismissively, "Mind rays are dumb."

Biff's face contorts into a faux-rage, "How dare you? Marquis..." He turns down towards their female companion. "...Who would win in a persona fight, me or Hideo?"

"Hmm... " Marquis pretends to ponder the question, contemplatively stroking her chin. "It's a tough one, but Biff would definitely win."

"What?!" Hideo steps back in shock. "You're just saying that to spite me."

"Eheh," Marquis tucks her knees up to her chest, smiling devilishly. "...Maybe." Miho can't help but notice how genuinely jovial Marquis looks, as though she wouldn't rather be anywhere else. But there's something more to the girl's visage, almost like an apprehension that occasionally manifests as a slight break in blithe-a fleeting grimace, gone as soon as it appears, or an expression of longing that hides just behind her eyes.

Pulling herself back around the corner, Miho rapidly thinks over the two boys' nonsensical words. _Persona fight… laser beams… is this some anime thing? No, no,_ _that can't be it. They were talking about fighting each other…_ She briefly considers popping back around and straight up asking them what they're talking about as though she were passing by and heard their conversation but decides not to in the light of it undoubtedly serving only to make them suspicious. The goal right now is to find out who Marquis is, and somehow it feels like drawing their distrust would only serve to make doing so more difficult.

Walking light footed away so as to not make noise, Miho can't help but feel like some sort of undercover spy. It's childish, sure, and even though she's just looking into some weird new kids, it's exciting to strike off on her own to eavesdrop and gather information. Odds are she's just overthinking the whole situation, but there's undeniably something off about the whole group. Marquis is a bit more obviously suspicious, but Biff and Hideo's dubious behavior sits wrong with Miho. It's doubtful that anyone else has noticed-considering Miho was their guide-but they came back to the tour looking like they'd been through hell after being gone all day, and now they seem like they're still up to something. Furthermore, while it's not a strike against them, Miho can't help but notice how close the group seems despite only meeting a couple days ago, likely even less for Marquis if she just moved to town. Their quick bond causes Miho to briefly reflect on her own relationship with the groupies that surround her at any given time. Despite knowing them for most of her school-going life, she doesn't feel any true connection. Interacting with them seems like more of an obligation-a nuisance-than it does hanging out with friends. In that context, can she really say she's ever shared a mutual connection with someone? A connection that wasn't just putting up with people that surrounded her for the sake of their own social status? Is she envious of Biff, Hideo, and Marquis? Is that why she's looking into this?

Miho pushes such questions from her mind. _Aha, don't need to be thinking about this. It's useless to get in my own head_. Leaving the group to their own devices, Miho pushes open the door to the front office, greeting the secretary behind the glass window as she does so. "Hello, Ms. Sugimoto."

"Oh, hello Miho!" The ever-cheery woman chirps, "Can I help you with anything?"

The classic technique: trademark smile, gentle dismissive wave, "I just need to find some student information." She chuckles as though bashful, "Realized I forgot to write down the addresses of all the new transfers."

"Right over there," The secretary points to a collection of three towering silver filing cabinets. "The middle one has everything on the second years."

"Thanks a bunch!" Miho quickly paces over to the middle cabinet and looks it up and down. "Marquis Biff…" She mumbles, locating the draw labeled A-K and pulling it open. Fingering through the files, she eventually finds one with the name 'Marquis Biff' written on the identification tab. Within is a single piece of paper; the form that had to be filled out to for her to apply to Makisini High. Generally the application contains basic information such as family contacts and home address, so it should suffice to tell Miho everything she wants to know. She pulls the form out and briefly looks it over. The top reads Marquis Biff, so this is in fact the right paper. Below that, though…

Miho draws in a startled breath, eyes going wide as she scans the rest of Marquis' information. _What the hell?_ She reads it over again, confirming that what she's reading is true. _You've gotta be kidding me... home phone number: 111-111-1111? Address: 111 Hideo Sucks Street? Previous school: Not-Makisini High? Area code: BIFF? That's not even a plausible area code. Is all of this just made up?_ Miho reads it all over again, confirming that not a single fact on the application is legitimate or even believable. For the most part everything she wrote is just a variation of Biff or Hideo's name. _Who approved this?_ Miho's brow furrows in frustration. _Who the hell is this girl?_

At once, Miho remembers that she can just find out. Biff, Hideo, and Marquis are together right now only a few feet away. Contrary to her previous decision to stay unknown, confrontation is the only option if she's going to find out just what's going on. She can feel her heartbeat quicken as she hastily jams the folder back where it belongs before turning and dashing out of the front office. The secretary's voice calls out to her as she blows past, but Miho doesn't much care-she can make an apology and follow it up with some excuse tomorrow.

Rounding the corner, Miho expects to find Biff and friends still killing time and making conversation. It hasn't occurred to her as to what she plans to do upon getting an answer as to who Marquis is, but curiosity has already driven her this far, so she'll figure out the rest later. Upon approaching the back of the school, instead of the enigmatic trio, all she finds is the wide glass window spanning the entirety of the wall, facing out towards the ominously empty, closed up practice building.

"What? They're gone…?" She mutters, disappointment hanging from her lips.

4/13

Biff's eyes snap open to the endlessly dark, wooded landscape of the Velvet Room. The roaring flame burns before him, silhouetting the two inexplicable inhabitants. Igor genially extends a hand in salutation. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. As I'm sure you know, I've summoned you here in a dream."

Biff scowls, briefly glancing at Safie standing silently next to her masterwith, tome in hand. "Uh… hey there."

"Hello," Igor says, greeting the guest once more.

"Yeah, hi. Is this going to be a regular thing?"

Igor's smile stretches inhumanly wide, sending shivers down Biff's spine. "We are here to oversee and guide you as you surmount the coming tribulations. Verification of your bonds is a necessary part of our supervision. This room reflects the state of your heart, and as you bolster yourself through meaningful interaction, your spirit, and thus the Velvet Room, will grow in turn. Such is the power of the wild card."

Before Biff can think of a response, Safie raises her compendium and opens it. From within the spreading pages, a glowing blue card appears, floating slightly above and illuminating her stalwart expression amid shadow cast by the bonfire. The card rotates slowly, and as its face becomes visible, Biff can see it's designed with a large yellow sun in the middle, albeit with a disconcertingly human face. "Through support and mutual care with your ally Marquis you have taken another step in the realization of your destiny. With her, you have established the persona of the Sun. I'd recommend you nourish this bond such that your power grows greater and your future grows brighter." The card begins glowing more intensely before flying off into the bonfire, burning up and increasing the flame's intensity by several inches. Glancing to his side, Biff can see that the light of the fire has illuminated slightly more of the forest than before, though whatever lies beyond the darkness still remains obscured.

Safie looks hesitantly at her master before turning to Biff and smiling in a truly genuine manner, as though the growth of his own heart brings her joy in turn. She closes the book and laughs lightly. "Eheh… I'm sure you already know this, but Marquis I- o-oh, if you don't mind me speaking…"

Biff, confused by the change in demeanor by the formerly staunch guardian of his future, raises an eyebrow. "Uh, go ahead? You don't have to ask permission to talk…"

"Thank you." Safie bows awkwardly. "From what I can tell, Marquis is a… person…? who will undoubtedly need your support in the development of her own heart. I believe you are the only one who can currently realize this growth because as much as she would like to, and as quickly as she latches onto the prospect of bonds, I believe she doesn't truly open her heart very easily for fear of being hurt."

"You're awfully introspective for someone living in..." Biff impersonates Igor's slightly high-pitched, wizened voice, "...A place between dream and reality, mind and matter."

Safie giggles at Biff's imitation before suddenly clamming up and glancing at her master. Igor offers no such response, only sitting at his table with hands folded, nose resting on top. She turns back to Biff with a worried yet amused smile. "Ehehe, that's pretty good. My oldest sister always did a great impersonation of the nose- uh… I mean master." She sighs, a brief gloom flitting across her face at the mention of her older relation. "But yes, as my master has said, this room is deeply connected to your heart. We must watch the events of your life unfold, as it is our duty to help guide you to the fulfilling of your destiny."

"That's mildly creepy but I'll let it pass."  
Cutting into the conversation, Igor breathes in sharply, shutting his eyes and basking in the heat of the reinvigorated flame. "A great potential lies within the heart of your new bond. It is a hope beyond any other, capable of bringing either blissful salvation or utter ruin." He pauses for another moment. "Tread carefully, for the bearer of your greatest trial will soon arrive."

Biff winces, echoing Igor's words, "My greatest trial…"

"Time runs out on us, a new day dawns. I bid you farewell until the day we meet again."

With that said, Biff is opening his eyes once more, now returned safely to his room in the Ryleigh's home. He pats the bed around himself, reassuring that the dream-or whatever the Velvet Room is-is over. "The bearer of my greatest trial," He repeats once more. "Was he referring to the King?" Regardless, Biff can't ponder it for too long considering there's way too much that he doesn't know. So many questions remain unanswered, and judging by the King's ominous threat he delivered yesterday, the future's only going to get harder for everyone in MIFAS. But today's a day of rest-no Dreamlands after school this time.

After getting dressed for the day and eating breakfast, Biff and Hanae walk to Makisini High together, making small talk all the way. Biff breathes deeply, taking in the mildly sweet-yet humid-spring air. "So, how was your first day?"

Hanae fidgets slightly, stroking a hand compulsively along her short ponytail. "O-oh, it was alright. I uh… I didn't really meet anyone, but I really like the school. My teachers are really nice."

"Oh…" Biff turns away from Hanae and grimaces slightly. After telling her she'd make tons of friends, it frankly hurts to hear just the opposite. "Well, I'm glad to hear you like it there. Uh…" Not really sure what else to say, he falters.

Surprisingly, Hanae picks up the conversation, preemptively breaking the awkward silence before it emerges, "Y-your friend Hideo seemed nice. Um… kinda weird though. Is he the one you were spending time with?"

"Wait, you think Hideo is nice? Hideo the womanizing idiot?"

"O-oh… um… y-yeah, he was polite… and uh, didn't seem like that much of a womanizer..."

Biff scratches the back of his head, reflecting upon his insult. "Maybe womanizer was the wrong word. He's more lovelorn now that I think of it. But anyways yeah, he's the one I was um…" A recollection of yesterday's intense shadow combat comes back to him all at once, the emotionally charged memory of Marquis' confrontation with her shadow causing Biff to falter. "...Hanging out with. And this girl named Marquis, I'll have to introduce you sometime."

Hanae seems genuinely surprised that Biff would just up and offer to introduce her to his friends. "Really? Yes, please. Um… what's she like?"

"She… uh," Biff racks his brain to search for the right portrayal but just can't seem to put it into words. "She's… excitable in a weird way if that makes sense-the kinda person you'd have to meet to understand."

"Oh, ok… well, I'm looking forward to it then."

"Ac-" Biff begins to open his mouth to speak, intending to invite Hanae along with him, Hideo, and Marquis to hang out today. He hesitates, though, remembering that Marquis' plan was to go to some weapon store or something, and despite the group undoubtedly being willing to bring Hanae, Eikichi and Asami probably wouldn't be happy knowing Biff was bringing their daughter shopping for swords. Plus, anything involving the Dreamlands seems like the sort of thing he shouldn't really talk about, much less get Hanae involved.

"Were you about to say something, Biff?" Hanae snaps him out of contemplation, looking up with wide, vulnerable eyes.

"Wha-? Um, just wanted to tell you I was going out with those guys again after school."

"O-oh… ok…" She seems mildly disappointed, clearly anticipating her chance to be taken along.

Biff grimaces once more. He knows Hanae struggles with feeling left out, but there's no way he can get her tangled up in the Dreamlands-somehow it feels like even telling her about that other world would be dangerous if only due to the emotional weight associated with the knowledge of Mata's imminent destruction. Despite being only a year younger than Biff, her demeanor conveys more of a little sister vibe than a high-school peer, only furthering his sentiment that she can't be involved no matter what. "Hey," He says, drawing her attention once more. "I won't forget about you. I promise, you can come along soon; we'll go eat somewhere or something."

Hanae averts her eyes, sighing gently, "You don't need to pity me, you know."

"Wha-?" Biff hesitates, surprised to hear the mild self-reproach. It had appeared that Hanae was starting to get more comfortable around him, but does she really feel like Biff views her as pitiable? "No no no, not at all. I'm inviting you because I feel like it, I hate doing things I don't actually want to. Considering I just moved here I need all the friends I can get, ya know?" Biff chuckles as he tries to smooth over Hanae's doubts, gently nudging her on the shoulder. "How about… uh… Tuesday? Will that work for you?"

Despite Hanae's face still being turned away, Biff can see the corners of her mouth slanted up in a slight pleased smile. "Yes, that'll be fine."

They walk the rest of the way in silence, Hanae lost in contemplative thought, Biff enjoying the balmy morning while reflecting on the progress made thus far in MIFAS' assassination mission. "See ya back at the house," Biff says, waving curtly as he and Hanae part after entering.

"Goodbye," She responds politely, smiling sadly before turning away and speedily power walking to class.

Biff makes his way to class 2-F, ready to begin his second day of so many more to come. Walking confidently through the hall, for the first time he notices the numerous students stealing glances at him before turning to a friend and whispering hushed gossip. A briefofly uncomfortable pang strikes Biff before he shakes it off, knowing there's nothing to be done. _What? Do they not like the hair?_ He tilts his head back, running a hand through his luscious, golden, shoulder-length locks while still walking. The gasp of a female student can be heard immediately after. _Nope, they definitely like it. Just hope they aren't spreading anything too raunchy._ Approaching the classroom door, Biff swings it open and strides in.

A varied group of students stands, as always, centered around Miho Fuiji-beautiful class president extraordinaire. They all speak hastily in whispers as though attempting-and failing-to keep the discussion a secret. Despite being centered around her, Miho is barely offered a chance to speak amid the flurry of rumors and observations.

"-Lucky on the transfers this year. Got quite a few in our class."

The girls in the group giggle before one adds in, "And a couple cute ones at that."

"Well, I wouldn't call _him_ cute, maybe more… hot in a mysterious foreign way." Another adds before grinning mischievously, "You know, I heard he's a teen movie star who moved to Japan to escape the glories of fame."

A boy dismissively waves his hand, "Wouldn't we have heard of him, then? Personally, I heard he's a wanted fugitive who's hiding out so he isn't tried for his crimes."

The previous girl scrunches her face up, "Where'd you hear that? That doesn't even make sense."

"I dunno, I just heard it."

Despite obviously discussing him, Biff's entry is left unnoticed until a familiar voice calls out, "Hey Biff!" Sitting in the middle column of desks towards the back of the class, Hideo grins goofily and waves to get Biff's attention.

He smirks at his persona wielding partner and approaches his own desk to sit, "Hey Hidi, wha-" He stops, noticing that Marquis is passed out, face down on the desk next to Biff's, one twin tail dangling over the side. "The hell's up with her?"

Hideo casually glances at Marquis, "Well she was zonked out when I got here. Probably tired from..." he cups his hands around his mouth and whispers so no one else hears, "..getting a persona."

Scrunching his face up in annoyance, Biff slides into his seat, "Then wake her up, idiot. We can't have her sleeping in school. And who says 'zonked out?'"

"Geez man, I tried," Hideo grumbles, reaching over from behind Biff to Marquis' seat, shaking her gently. "And I say zonked out. Deal with it. Marquis… Marquis wake up." The shaking becomes more intense. "Marquis, Biff is here."

"...Buhff…" She grumbles, gradually coming to consciousness. "Mmm…" Marquis raises her head and sits back in her seat, yawning. "...Hello boys… when'd you get here?"

"Obviously you didn't try hard enough," Biff glares at Hideo, briefly filling the poor boy with an inexplicable sense of fear before cracking a smile to show it was just a joke. He turns back to Marquis. "Hey there, good thing you decided to wake up." Now that she's sitting erect, Biff can see how disheveled her school uniform is. All of the clothes are wrinkled (from sitting in a pile all of yesterday), her shirt is buttoned wrong and thusly askew, and the bow she wears on one twin tail was crudely, unevenly tied.

Marquis rubs the exhaustion from her eyes, "I fell asleep?" Biff nods slowly. "Darn, well, no problem. I prepared for this; won't happen again." She leans over to the floor and begins digging through her tote bag. After a brief moment, Marquis triumphantly rises once more, now brandishing a lukewarm can of Mad Bull. "I bought a bunch of these bad boys to keep me awake, ya know? And also they taste really good. I mean, I've had like three already and that clearly wasn't enough. I gotta be fully alert to go to Abe's."

Biff shakes his head, not thinking too much about Marquis' energy drink addiction, "Abe's?"

An answer is delayed briefly by Marquis taking a large swig of Mad Bull. She raises a finger, signifying that Biff should wait a minute as she finishes drinking. "Yeah," Now done, Marquis wipes her mouth with her sleeve. "The weapon store, remember?" Pressing the tin can to her lips, Marquis begins chugging once more.

Hideo grimaces disapprovingly, "That looks… unhealthy."

Marquis spins around and shakes a hand dismissively. When I say she shakes her hand dismissively, I really mean that she raises a hand dismissively, but the caffeine in her body causes it to compulsively shudder. "Oh Hidi, don't you know anything? It would be even more unhealthy to pass out and hit my head on something, right? I could die."

"Well…"

"So even if this is unhealthy, it's less unhealthy than me dying."

"Marquis, that really…"

Ignoring him, Marquis continues drinking, emptying the can in seconds. She wings the hollow Mad Bull across the room, aiming for the trash can but missing completely, drawing stares when the tin makes a ringing impact with the wall. She reaches for another.

School eventually begins, and the day passes like any other amidst discussions over health benefits of energy drinks, the comparative strength of Atlach-Nacha, Cyäegha, and Cthulhu, and what knives Marquis is particularly excited to buy later today. Eventually, the bell rings and they're free.

Biff slaps his hands on the desk and rises, drawing Hideo and Marquis' attentions. "Alright, let's get going; where's this Abe's place again?"

Marquis stands as well, downing the last of a Mad Bull. "Mmm…" She doesn't answer immediately, the copious caffeine in her system blanking her mind and making her jitter slightly as though vibrating. Abruptly coming to her senses, Marquis snaps her view up to Biff. "O-oh, sorry, um… it's slightly down the street from Georgie's."

Hideo rises, about to comment on Marquis' health, yet falters. Across the room he catches a glimpse of Miho quickly glancing away, turning back to the group of students surrounding her. _Was she watching us…?_ Hideo reflects, naturally feeling anxious at the prospect of Miho sizing up him, Biff, and Marquis. Looking at it in a different light, Hideo grins. _Or was she checking us out? Hmhm… Looks like being a cute transfer student pays off every once in a while._ He reflects on her expression, remembering the cold glare she retained up until turning away, at once realizing the fault in this analysis. _Wait no, she didn't look like she was checking us out… she looked… pretty freakin' deadpan. Is deadpan the right word? Doesn't rea-_

"HIDEO," Marquis shouts, pulling the boy from thought.

"Earth to Hidi, we're taking off now." Biff waves a hand to try and snap him out of it. "What's up, man? You were pretty damn deep in thought."

Hideo hesitates briefly, "Ah… I uh, nothing."

"Mhmm..." With a disapproving shake of his head, Biff turns around. "Well, like I said, taking off now. You two ready?"

Hideo nods, pushing away the distracting thoughts. He can worry about Miho later.

"Wait one second," Marquis reaches down and shakes her tote bag. From within, the sound of numerous cans banging against each other can be heard. "I need to find a recycling bin."

Hideo looks down at Marquis and frowns. "Just throw them in the garbage."

"Geez Hideo, I get it if you want to pollute the oceans but that doesn't mean I don't care about environmental conservation. Tin cans are recyclable."

"Wait, what?"

"Re-cy-cla-ble. It means I can recycle it. I'll catch up with you guys, go on ahead."

"Wha-? I know what recycling means."

Biff shrugs and jabs a thumb towards the door, "Alright, whatever, come on Hidi." Following Biff's lead, the two boys make their way out of the room and presumably to the building exit.

Marquis stands up and slings her bag up and over her shoulder, the weight of at least twelve empty cans slamming into her side. "Ugh!" She doubles over and places a hand on her desk for support. "Ok, let's go. Time to save the Earth." Taking her time, Marquis meanders out of the classroom and begins looking for a recycling bin. It dawns upon her that this is the first time she's really wandered about the school on her own, any other time had been with Biff and Hideo by her side. Suddenly self-conscious of this fact, Marquis can't help but notice that plenty of students are staring at her as she passes. "It must be my exotic yet sexy looks," she mumbles to herself in order to try and ease her nervousness, impulsively running a hand down one of her twin tails.

Near the staircases leading up and down, Marquis notices a green plastic bin with the words 'Cans and Bottles' written on the side in white text. "Ooh, nice work, me." She jogs over and reaches into her tote, pulling out Mad Bull cans one by one to stick them in the circular hole.

"Hiya, Marquis."

A voice addressing her from behind causes Marquis to flinch in surprisefear, dropping the can she was holding and causing it to impact the ground with a loud clang. Marquis whirls around to identify her assailant, only to find Miho Fuiji standing with hands clasped behind her back, smiling sweetly.

"Oh, sorry about that, aha." Miho reaches down and grabs the empty Mad Bull, placing it in the recycling.

Marquis hesitates for a moment, looking Miho up and down. This is really the first time the two have ever interacted and is actually the first time someone's ever approached Marquis for conversation besides Biff and Hideo. The first thing that comes to mind is: _Woah, she's really pretty. Like, really, really pretty._ Her eyes flit up to Miho's cherry blossom-colored ponytail then down to her gentle features. _No wonder Hidi's caught feelings._ Marquis continues examining the figure before her. _And she's got a pretty rockin' bod no homo… what're those bad boys? C-cup?_ Looking down at her own less curvy figure, Marquis frowns in disappointment. _Actually, this is starting to make me self-conscious._

"Uh… Marquis…" While she was being analyzed, Miho was left just standing there, unsure what exactly to do as Marquis stared at her boobs...

"Uwah!" Marquis snaps out of it, looking up and at Miho's eyes (considering the latter is slightly taller).

"Hi there," Miho laughs gently, finding amusement in Marquis' odd mannerisms. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Me?"

"Yes you, mind if we go up to the roof?"

Marquis looks slightly concerned. "Me up to the roof?" She's not sure why, but having veritable strangers try and talk to her feels weird. Maybe she's gotten too used to Biff and Hideo. In that light, this is probably a good thing, then.

"What? Yes. You up to the roof." Despite the fact that talking to Marquis is, at times, like talking to a brick wall, Miho maintains her patient, kind attitude.

"Oh, uh… yeah alright, let's go." Marquis hoists her bag up and begins dumping the rest of the cans into the recycling all at once.

Miho raises an eyebrow at the sheer amount of Mad Bull but decides not to say anything, choosing instead to smile and walk past Marquis to the stairs leading up. Marquis silently follows. "So," Miho begins, "How are you liking it here at Makisini?"

"Well, the school's pretty cool. I've met some nice people so that's cool too. Overall I'd definitely describe my experience as pretty cool in general."

"Hope you don't mind me checking in like this-as class president I just like to make sure the transfers are settling in well."

Marquis turns her head away and makes a slightly puzzled face, "O-oh, that's very nice of you." She lowers her voice to a mumble, "Too nice."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Arriving at the top, Miho pushes open the door to the roof and holds it open, allowing Marquis to walk through and look around. Ominous dark clouds stretch in all directions-a stark contrast from the pleasantly clear weather that's defined the past week. A gentle breeze blows across the empty roof, its whistling-coupled with the overcast weather-creates an uncomfortable sense of foreboding. Beyond the edge of the walls in one direction stretches a magnificent view of Mata's neon-lit shopping district past the plain white housing that surrounds it. In the other direction stretches expansive flat farmland interspersed by winding roads as far as the eye can see. "Wow, Fuiji. I had my qualms about coming up to the roof, but this was definitely worth it."

Behind Marquis' back, Miho's face contorts in confusion. "Why would you have qualms…" She shakes her head, reaffirming her footing and getting serious. No one else is up here, only the two of them stand amid the whistling wind and humid, pre-rain atmosphere. Putting on her sweetest, most caring voice, Miho asks the big question as bluntly as possible: "Who are you?"

Marquis freezes, feeling a chill run down her back. _Uh oh_. She turns around, trying to grin confidently, but the apparent concern on her face makes her just look awkward. "M-me? I'm Marquis."

Miho takes a step closer, squinting slightly despite maintaining a compassionate smile. "You know what I'm asking. I looked at your student information…"

Marquis goes wide-eyed. _No way…_ She grits her teeth in panicked horror. _Can I run? No, Miho's blocking the door… Can I jump off the roof...?_ "Uh…" Taking another look at her interrogator, Marquis can see that despite her kind expression, Miho's eyes are far from smiling, appearing cold and wholly emotionless deep within. Another chill goes down Marquis' spine, the contrast eliciting a primal sort of fear.

"...It was all made up. I don't know how you were even allowed to set foot in the school. From what I can tell, you just showed up in Mata one day and pretended like you lived here."

The two girls intensely stare each other down. Miho's confident, able demeanor and composed yet icy expression is nothing short of horrifyingly menacing. For a girl who appears to be the very embodiment of geniality at any given time, Miho's sudden shift in character has left Marquis speechless and struggling to find anything to say. _Is she trying to intimidate me? Because it's really working and I'm terrified. She looks like she's gonna kick my ass._

"And your friends Biff and Hideo…"

Marquis makes a choking sort of noise when her allies are brought up. Getting herself in trouble for faking a school application is one thing, but she could never forgive herself if she screwed Biff and Hideo over in any possible way.

"They've been taking off and disappearing every day at school so far-even at orientation. And I couldn't help but overhear you say something about going to 'Abe's.' That's the smithing shop, right? The one that sells swords and knives? I only know due to all the controversy lately.."

What can Marquis possibly say to defend herself? This is a situation that she simply has no idea what to do in. Interacting with Biff and Hideo is one thing, but suddenly having accusations such as these thrown at her is not only terrifying in that they could get her-and her friends-in huge trouble, but is in itself a completely new struggle when you've never experienced it before. _Why is there conflict in real life, too? Is killing shadows not enough?_ Miho's glare focuses on Marquis' single golden eye, a pattern that most people habitually follow when talking with her. In this case, though, it feels more like Miho's reading straight into her soul, peering directly through her and at the fear clutching her heart, like a predator closing in on its helpless prey. Marquis casts her eyes to the side.

Miho's lips curl up slightly in a cruel smile. She can't help it, really. Not that she particularly enjoys watching Marquis squirm, but rather feels an undeniable excitement at unveiling something that could potentially be of great significance. "As I thought. That's awfully suspicious, you know. And while I can't do anything about them looking at swords or ditching an orientation tour, faking information like that is pretty serious." Miho takes another step forward, her height advantage making Marquis feel even smaller and more inadequate. "You even made up all of your citizenship information. Call it blackmailing if you will, but I'd recommend you tell me everything about what your group is doing, starting with exactly who you are."

Marquis grits her teeth. _Damnit, I need an easy way out right about now. There's no way she'd believe the truth, and I can't think of a reasonable lie…_ She snaps her view up to Miho and laughs shakily while crossing her arms to try and act indignant. "Aha… I don't need to say anything without an attorney present. Torture me all you like, you'll never make me talk."

Miho squints more, pursing her lips as Marquis starts acting weird again. "Torture you? What?" The subtle threats aren't really working as well as she thought. Miho's voice takes on a grave seriousness once again as she steps even closer to Marquis. "You'll actually need an attorney if you get arrested for faking citizenship."

Marquis' mouth opens as though about to say something, but she stops herself under an expression of renewed worry. She frowns, sighing. "Well if I told you I was a being from a different dimension possibly made of the hopelessness of humanity would you believe me?"

"Wha-?" Miho goes wide-eyed. What exactly is she trying to do here? "Of course I wouldn't believe you, that's just stupid."

"Exactly, in that case, you leave me with only one option," Marquis smirks to herself. _Foolish Miho, in your menacing advance where you tried to scare me, you left the door to the stairs completely unguarded._

Miho puts her hands on her hips. "Finally, come on, out with it."

Marquis extends a fist then turns it upwards as though raising a shield to summon her persona. "I cast Trafuri! Time for my grand escape!" Demonstrating surprisingly nimble footwork, Marquis suddenly dashes to Miho's side and then behind her, leaping through the doorway and down the stairs.

Miho has nothing to say as Marquis suddenly sprints off. She just sighs and listens to the noise of footsteps rapidly clambering downward in a frantic retreat.

Marquis is home free, making it down all three floors in a matter of seconds. She reaches the main lobby and bends over with hands on knees, sucking in deep breaths after her sprinting escape. Despite being both surprised and relieved that her escape worked, Marquis is fully aware of the power Miho now holds over her. Would it have been a better idea to fall to her knees and back for mercy? Well, it's too late now.

"Hey, Marquis!" Hideo's voice calls out. She looks up and sees both him and Biff sitting by the entrance, only now standing as she arrived. "You find a recycling bin alright? We decided to wait up for you."

"Oh, hey guys…" She starts, unsure how to address their new issue. "Um… yeah, I did, but we've kinda sorta got a bigger problem and it's also kinda sorta my fault."

"Damnit, Marquis." Biff groans, already unhappy with how this is going to turn out.

She smiles sheepishly, eliciting a worried look from Hideo, "Let's… start walking to Abe's, I'll explain on the way."

Miho rests her arms on the barrier closing in the roof of Makisini High, the entirety of Mata stretching out before her. Looking down, she spots Biff, Hideo, and Marquis making their way out of the school and down the hill, undoubtedly chatting about her.

With a sigh, she lowers her head and closes her eyes, unsure how to proceed. As weird-and stupid-as she is, Marquis doesn't seem like a bad person. It would feel wrong to just go off and ruin her life on a whim, but the mysteries surrounding her are nothing short of concerning. After a while more of contemplation, she resolves to wait on coming to a decision, instead opting to just watch the group closely for the time being in order to try and figure out their intentions.

Cold drops of water begin peppering the back of her head-slowly at first, but steadily increasing in frequency. Miho raises her head and looks up at the sky unblinkingly as rain dampens her face, all at once feeling a stinging headache coming on.

"Aw dang, it's raining and I didn't bring an umbrella," Hideo pouts, holding a hand over his face as he looks up at the sky.

Biff huffs, scowling at Hideo, "Yup. Yup, that's our biggest problem-a little rain."

"But it's starting to pick up..."

Biff rolls his eyes, "Well we're almost to Abe's so you'll live. Anyways, back to what's important…"

Marquis casts her eyes to the side, twirling a twin tail in her fingers unconsciously. "I… I'm really sorry guys. My... um… I didn't think anyone would actually look at what I wrote on the application… and now she's going to be watching you guys too."

"It's a school application…" Hideo mutters.

"No, Marquis, not your fault. Sounds like she was suspicious of us anyways," Biff says, grinning at Hideo. "For good reason, too. She has a point in saying we have a tendency to… suspiciously disappear."

Hideo hesitates for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah… uh… they way you described her-Miho, that is-sounded really scary… it just seems really out of character, ya know? She always came across as so genuinely kind that to hear she was borderline threatening you… I dunno…"

Marquis laughs meekly, "Eheh, if I'm being honest I was terrified. Fuiji was all giving me the death glare with those icy, emotionless eyes. The eyes, Hidi, the eyes." She shivers, facing Hideo and trying her best to impersonate Miho's intimidation tactics. Eyes squinting slightly, lips pursed in a small, bitter frown, Hideo can't help but be uncomfortable as well, the image of Miho appearing as such sending a chill down his spine. Seeing Hideo squirm makes Marquis smile mischievously.

 _Icy…_ In hearing Marquis' description, Hideo can't help but recall when he first talked with Miho Fuiji at the conclusion of the orientation tour-how emotionless and cold she acted before suddenly reassuming an amicable attitude. Does that mean her kindness was always just an act…? If that's the case, then what reason would she possibly have for doing so? He unconsciously sighs, attempting to push the whirlwind of questions away.

Biff turns slightly when he hears Hideo sigh. Eyes cast down, the anxious look plastered on the boy's face all at once reveals his thoughts. "Hey," Biff says, clapping Hideo on the shoulder to draw his attention. "I'm sorry you have to hear this man, I know you're… 'fond' of Fuiji."

Hideo raises his sight, matching Biff's gaze. "...Thanks, man." His sad yet thankful smile conveying the true gratitude behind his words.

 _Huh…_ _Usually Hideo would object to me saying he had a thing for Miho..._ Biff 'thinks to himself. _Poor guy._

The rest of the walk consists mostly of brooding silence. Such a development, though it may appear minor from the outside, has grave implications for all three members of MIFAS. Hideo has been left in a state of confusion, his tendency to silently overthink these sorts of things lending no help in understanding the actions of someone he thought cared about him in some way or another. Marquis, while obviously worried as to the possibility she'll be expelled or worse, can't shake the guilt of-at least in her mind-sundering the reputation of her only two friends. Biff, with his acute attunement to the emotions of his allies, feels a share of their internal conflict in his own heart, wishing he could do more to ease their strain. Furthermore, the question as to how Miho's involvement will impede their assassination attempt has been on his mind. They can't exactly stroll into the Dreamlands through the practice building under her watchful eye; perhaps their only option will be to take the train to Tokyo so that they can walk to the castle from the portal that leads to Celephais. Such a route would undoubtedly eat up a lot of time, though…

Eventually, the group arrives in front of the long-awaited weapon store. Above its door is an overhang which offers the group protection some much-needed protection from the rain, a notion they quickly move to take advantage of by hiding under it. Once safe from getting further moistened, Marquis whirls around to face Hideo and Biff, wringing the water from one of her twin tails. "Alright boys, let's liven up now."

"Huh?" Hideo stops and furrows his brow at Marquis' sudden change in tone.

"All of us're feeling a little down in the dumps now that we've hit a bit of an um… unexpected interference, but we're here to have fun! To have fun and to look at deadly weapons so we can stab stuff better!" She enthusiastically raises a fist as she cheers, clearing trying to appear lighthearted for the sake of the group.

Biff cracks a tight-lipped smile, "Yeah, we've been a couple of corpses lately, huh?"

"I guess moping around won't do us any good," Hideo runs a hand through his hair, pushing any lingering worries to the back of his mind. "Let's do some shopping. Wait, that reminds me-how much money'd we make from killing shadows yesterday?"

"Oh!" Marquis perks up, lowering her hand and plunging it into her school tote bag. Yesterday, during the excursion to the dreamlands, she made it a priority to clean up all of the various bits of cash that the shadows dropped. She briefly rummages around within before pulling out a bulging, grapefruit-sized burlap sack that creates a metallic clinking as it's shaken about. When she opens it up, Biff and Hideo can see that the bag is absolutely filled with various yen bills and coins.

Despite the trove of cash before him, Hideo gives Marquis a dubious look. "Do you actually keep books in that bag or just books and soda?"

Ignoring Hideo, Marquis continues, "Um… I counted it yesterday after we split up, there was something like seventy-thousand yen."

"WHA-?" Hideo steps back. "For real? That's awesome!"

Biff glares at the money as though trying to figure out what it is. After a moment, he turns to Hideo, "Is that good?"

"It's like… about seven hundred American dollars, I think." He sighs, shaking his head. "Just divide the sum by a hundred to get a rough estimate. How the hell do you not know this?"

"I don't need any of that lip, Hidi," Biff chides with mock-scorn. "But damn, shadow assassinationing-"

"Assassinationing…?"

"-Is pretty much a part-time job at this point, and it's certainly more fun than doing something stupid like being a waiter."

"Hey, I'm a waiter..." Hideo interrupts, looking dejectedly at Biff.

"You are?" Biff raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah man, at a ramen shop down the street."

"Then why don't you quit? We're shadow killers now. It's gotta make you a helluva lot more cash than being a waiter."

Hideo goes slightly red, "Um… well, I got the job just after I moved here so it'd be weird to quit so soon…"

"Why do you care?"

He averts his eyes shamefacedly, "Um... my boss is really scary…"

Biff says nothing, instead opting to squint his eyes at Hideo in a biting, sardonic glare.

"G-geez Biff, I'm not kidding. She-"

"She?"

"Yeah, i-it's a woman. But like no woman you've ever seen. She's like, half a foot taller than me and built like a tank."

Biff's glare drops, replaced by surprise. "What the hell kind of ramen shop are you working for?'

"The kind where I'm pretty she'd break my legs if I tried to quit now. All she does is silently stand in the corner during shifts and glare at the employees, it's no joke."

"..." Biff isn't sure what to make of this. As much as it sounds like Hideo may be exaggerating, the poor boy actually sounds terrified of his manager.

"Aw, cut him some slack," Marquis interrupts, addressing Biff. "I think Hideo should keep working."

"You do?" Hideo replies immediately, unsure why Marquis would care in any way whatsoever. Does she actually support the cultivation of his working experience?

"Yeah, because then you and I can go there, Biff, and make Hideo our pitiable server, subservient to our every demand."

"Of course," Hideo groans.

"Like the idea Marquis-Hideo, keep your job for now. But on another note…" Looking around himself, it has now come to Biff's attention that people passing by are glaring dubiously at the trio as they loiter outside of Abe's. As he meets their eyes with a counter-glare, they quickly look away. "...We probably ought to head on in."

Hideo and Marquis take notice of the observers as well. Without another word, the members of MIFAS enter the shop in single file. The exterior of Abe's is nothing particularly remarkable; painted a dark brown color with two storefront windows functioning to display numerous swords of varying lengths atop white wooden cases. The inside is largely devoid of atmospheric decorations-not for lack of care, but rather due to the sheer amount of weapons hung, shelved, and leaned against the walls and displays, not leaving much space for adornment. In the far back of the store, beyond a service counter, lies a forge complete with roaring flame and anvil. For such an awe-inspiring collection, the color scheme is wildly plain, with the walls a plain white, the floor black, and any display measures like shelves or stands built exclusively out of metal. The sheer variety in armaments-everything from swords to axes to knives are laid out-elicits an impressed whistle from Hideo. Marquis looks around rapidly, pure glee in her eyes akin to a kid in a candy store, albeit a shop full of deadly weapons instead of candy. Quickly upon entry, though, the group is pulled from their awe by bitter shouting from within the store.

"YOU ARE A MURDERER!" A woman screams, her voice dripping with sanguine rage. Behind the counter sits a middle-aged man dressed in a white apron and wearing wire-frame glasses. He appears remarkably impassive in the face of a verbal barrage unleashed by the woman standing before him. Wearing a three-piece suit, with her hair done tightly up, she gives off the impression of a business person more than a weapon enthusiast. "How the hell can you possibly live with yourself? I…" She falters, choking back impassioned tears. "...You had a hand in killing that boy as much as the murderers themselves-you're an enabler!"

The members of MIFAS stop in their tracks, all at once affected by an air of awkwardness from their entering. Marquis immediately twirls around to face the door leading out, "You know, maybe this is a bad time." Biff scrunches his brow at the scenario unfolding, instantaneously bringing his hand backward in order to grab Marquis by the shoulder, halting her retreat.

Upon hearing their entrance, both the assailing woman and the man behind the counter look towards the trio. The woman scowls vehemently, contempt dripping from her expression as she speaks to the man-presumably the owner of the store-once more, though without turning her head from Biff and his friends. "You're going to sell to them too, aren't you? They're children, for heaven's sake; giving them swords is just asking for someone to get killed." The blank-faced man offers no response, his placidity oddly reflective of the bland atmosphere possessed by the shop. "Just because you _can_ hand them weapons doesn't mean you _have_ to. Why are you kids even here? I think you all ought to j-"

Starting to get peeved, Biff shoots a nasty scowl right back at the woman, his audacity surprising her and causing a lapse in the verbal assault. He was previously considering whether or not to just leave alongside his friends, but now that he's being directly addressed and commanded, there's no way he'll turn tail and let her have the satisfaction. Plus he can't help but feel sympathy for the guy stuck taking the brunt of her rage-but pride is the primary driving factor here. "Alright lady," He spits, standing defiantly stalwart. "This is a store, buy something or get the hell outta here."

"Wha-?" The woman exclaims, beginning to protest immediately.

"Biff…" Hideo growls in warning.

She continues, eyeing Biff up and down, "Excuse me? Just who do you think you are? You are in no place to be ordering me around."

Retaining a sober demeanor and attacking with biting sarcasm, Biff slings back. "Yeah, same to you-you're being a real pain in everyone's collective asses right about now. I came here to do some peaceful shopping, so politely quit your screaming so I can buy giant swords in peace."

"Ugh!" The woman's expression turns once more to one of disgust as she returns to addressing the man behind the counter. "This is what I'm talking about: You're just going to sell weapons to this violent brat? You want _another_ murder on your hands?" She turns back to Biff and begins approaching with an arrogant strut. "If it weren't for people like you with no concept of self-control then Ichiko would still be alive. I can tell by your uniform that you're all Makisini students; how do you think your school will react to knowing you kids' shopping habits."

Hideo stands silently conflicted next to Biff, speedily contemplating whether to intervene or not. As she utters that ominous threat, he knows he ultimately has no choice but to step in and try to cool down the situation before Biff makes things worse. "Lady, we're completely within our legal rights in coming here." (The Persona universe has some unimaginably liberal weapon ownership laws.) "The most you'd do is stir trouble and make people needlessly worried. Do you really think we look like murderers?"

Biff didn't notice Hideo was about to speak, so the duo ended up retorting at the same time. "Yeah ok," He sardonically begins, rolling his eyes. "I'll keep that in mind when I use my shiny new katana to slash up strangers in the street."

"BIFF!" Hideo shouts, immediately going wide-eyed.

The woman steps back in a combination of shock and biting rage. "You-! Wha-? You brat-" She stutters, turning back to the man behind the counter as though expecting him to intervene on her behalf. Noticing his mildly amused-yet startled nonetheless-reaction to Biff's sarcastic threat sends the woman into even more of a rage, provoking her to whirl towards the door and storm out, muttering something about 'arrogant, rude Americans' under her breath. In the mad dash out, the woman blows by Marquis (who had once again gotten distracted ogling the weapons), knocking the poor girl to the ground.

"Uwah!" Marquis cries out on the way down, landing on her rear and dejectedly glaring at the woman as she exits. Biff and Hideo both immediately step over to help her up, the former offering a hand which she immediately grasps and uses to pull herself up. "Thanks, Biffy."

"No problem..." He mutters, lingering animosity on his lips as he glowers at the door that now swings shut. With a wry smile, he concludes the thought. "...And don't call me Biffy."

Hideo rubs the back of his neck tentatively, "Geez Biff, nice job getting her out and everything, but do ya think you overdid it? She might actually go running on up to our school now."

"Nah," Biff responds immediately waving an unconcerned hand and grinning cockily. "I know a hollow threat when I see one-people like that're all bark and no bite. And it's not like tattling to the school'd actually do much of anything in the first place. Plus, she deserves it; I hate when people love nothing more than hearing themselves talk."

"Ah, we don't need to worry about that right now!" Marquis cheers blithely, clearly recovered from her fall and drawing the boys' surprised attention. "There's no use getting worked up over things that aren't that big of a deal. What we should definitely get ourselves worked up over is preparing for…" She lowers her voice to a raspy whisper. "...The big fight."

"That's right…" Biff muses, running both hands through his hair as though pushing away any bitterness left in his mind. "We'll be going after the King soon. I have no doubt that this'll be our biggest fight yet, so we can't leave any preparations undone; it's a matter of life and death here. Besides new weapons is there anything else that we'll need?"

Hideo raises a hand slightly as he speaks, "I could pick up some medicine in case one of us gets fire-blasted or cut up or something."

"That's probably a good idea, Hidi. But you can just pick up painkillers that easily? I dunno much about meds, but that sounds mildly illegal."

"Nah, there's a nice little drugstore down the str-"

Marquis eagerly interrupts, "Yeah ok that's cool but let's focus on the weapons. Come on, Hidi!" She immediately grabs Hideo by the arm and begins dragging him towards a shelf of knives, an odd spectacle considering the difference in height between the two.

"Wha-? Why me and not Biff!?" He cries, claiming to be unwillingly despite allowing himself to be pulled across the room.

Biff laughs and shakes his head as the two begin perusing the wide variety of knives. Marquis oohs and ahs as she picks up and swings around every knife she possibly can while Hideo patiently humors her by examining a knife of his own. Looking around the room, Biff suddenly notices the man behind the counter staring right back at him, a slight pleased smile turning up the corners of his mouth. Upon making eye contact, the man waves Biff over.

With a brisk pace, Biff approaches the counter, affording a better view of the man still stalwartly sitting behind it. He's a gruff, older guy-likely in his late forties-with a bald spot on top and a grumpy sort of demeanor that generally appears more cantankerous than welcoming. Once Biff's a little closer, the man laughs with a voice both resoundingly deep and rugged. "Aha, wanted to say thanks-for standing up to the woman, that is. Sorry you and ya friends had to walk in on that." His words, despite his tough, stocky outer appearance, come across as more meek and apologetic than anything.

"Heh," Biff chuckles. "My pleasure, really. I'll guess you're Abe?" The man nods. "In that case, if this is your store why didn't you just boot her out? Show her the door and say 'don't come back,' ya know."

Abe grimaces at Biff's question, his eyes drooping down to stare at the service counter, "Ah… well… it's not that simple. I've tried, but they just refuse."

"They?"

"The woman and her… uh… cohorts-a group of people that come out here to protest my shop."

Biff flashes back to the woman's biting words, remembering the motif she incessantly repeated. "Is it because of that whole 'you're a murderer' thing?"

Wincing with having 'you're a murderer' brought up once again, Abe nods, lips pursed. "Yeah... ah've found it best to just let 'em get their rage off until they storm off when outta words to sling my way. It's a real pain, though."

Biff hesitates for a moment before speaking again, "What's up with that, anyway? She called you an 'enabler,' so I doubt you actually killed someone."

With a sigh, Abe sits back in his chair, clearly falling deep into thought, his dead set eyes taking on a dreary wistfulness. "You haven't heard? No, of course not, otherwise you wouldn't be asking..." He sighs again. "...About two weeks ago, a twenty-something named Ichiko was… slashed to death in an alley somewhere in the shady side of the shopping district." Biff goes wide-eyed; this is the first he's heard of any murder. "The cops caught the perp not long after, and in getting the guy they found the blade he used to do the deed-a sword from my shop. Once that was traced and leaked by the media, well… I… I've been catching a lotta flak. Some people took directly to protesting 'The Armory That Killed Ichiko,' the more dedicated of which have been tirelessly working to slander my name and boycott my goods. Most just come here to yell at me in person, though."

Undoubtedly surprised by the news and their implications for Abe's life, Biff is more focused on the man's reaction to recollecting the events of the past two weeks. Looking closer into his expression, Biff can detect twinges of something more than the expected indifference of a man who's resigned himself to this continued abuse. There's a melancholic sort of regret in his eyes as he stares off into a corner of the room, delving further into his thoughts. "When the suspect was revealed… I... couldn't help but remember the sale; I remembered me takin' the sword from him, ringin' him up, then handin' it back in exchange for 15,000 yen. The funny thing is that the man I was sellin' to looked just like any other. He wasn't a scary looking punk or some sort of sleek hitman assassin-just a man in casual clothes looking to buy a sword."

The longing nostalgic look in the man's eyes doesn't recede, prompting Biff to speak up in his classic straightforward, mildly abrasive tone. "Do you blame yourself?"

"Huh?" Abe responds, thinking on the question for a moment, carefully choosing his words. "Well geez… I dunno if I'd go so far as to say I _blame_ myself. I've always known the danger of selling people weapons, and the police cleared the situation-said that there was nothing fishy about the transaction, it's just… I dunno, I… I can't shake the memory of handin' him the sword and takin' his money; I keep finding my mind wanderin' to that moment. It's true that if I never forged the sword then it never could've been used..." He trails off, clearly feeling a great mix of emotions in regards to the subject.

Biff decides to slightly alter the topic of conversation. "So how's it affected business? I kinda doubt people looking to buy a blade would listen to some boycott."

Abe chuckles in response, briefly being distracted from his brooding. "You're right about that, there's always been a decent sized sword-collecting scene around Mata, and there's never been much competition… but the folks fighting against me certainly have affected sales…"

"Well, then we're here to help with that!" Biff asserts with bravado, putting on a friendly grin. "We're just a couple of amateur weapon enthusiasts happy to buy your wares."

"Heh, thanks," Abe replies, his tone lightened slightly by Biff's subtle effort to cheer him up. "Forgot you came here to buy somethin'; can't believe I got so caught up ranting about my problems-sorry, kid. But, as sappy as it sounds, thanks for listenin' to an old man's problems. Most people just come here to scream at me. Actually, hey, I never got your name."

"Ah, I don't mind, really. Don't worry 'bout it. And the name's Biff... Biff Chanum."

Abe extends his hand across the counter, offering a shake, "Abe Abe, nice to meet ya, Chanum."

Biff begins to meet the shake but stops abruptly, "Your first and last names are both Abe?"

"My parents thought it'd be funny. Most people just call me Abe"

"Huh," Finishing the motion and clasping hands, Biff at once can sense the man's gentle nature and emotional sentiments underlying his gruff, detached demeanor. The genuine appreciation and friendliness he expressed in response to Biff's characteristic attunement to the emotions of others radiates outward, granting hope for the future. People such as Abe-with their own stories, beliefs, personalities, and insecurities-are what Biff fights for-to protect the futures of those he cares for. This budding friendship with Abe once again inspires Biff to always keep fighting. As this thought crosses his mind, a blissful sensation washes over his body, and Safie's voice calls to him, affirming the glimmer of hope Abe has awakened.

I am Thou, Thou art I

Thou hast acquired a new bond.

It shall awaken the passion of thine spirit,

and fuel the flame of thine heart

With the birth of the Tower persona

Thou shalt share the burden of responsibility

In facing the tribulation of thine destiny

Biff closes his eyes as a gentle warmth envelops his body. As the heat fades, the familiar sensation of pent-up energy lingers in every inch of his being before slowly concentrating in his heart and fading. After another moment, the two men drop each other's hands and Abe speaks in that same coarse tone. "Ah, Chanum, actually now that I think of it, I could use some help around the store any time you're free, so if you're looking for a job don't be afraid to stop by."

"Oh, awesome, thanks. I'll be sure to swing by one of these days." Honestly, he can't help but silently laugh to himself. It was a fairly unexpected surprise to come out of the weapon store excursion with a part-time job, but Biff's not complaining. While he doesn't actually need the money due to the lucrative nature of shadow killing, it may afford him a good chance to pursue a bond with Abe.

As Biff and Abe have their emotional discussion, Hideo and Marquis have their own aside off to the edge of the store.

Marquis pulls a long, black dagger off the shelf, holding it with both hands as she shows it to Hideo. The crossguard-less blade curves slightly backward as it extends from the leather grip in a sinister, menacing fashion. "Aw, whoa! Hideo look at this one!"

"Mhmm," Hideo mumbles as he examines a knife of his own-a straight-edged bayonet, the blade of which is at least six inches long.

"You didn't even look at it," She whines, prompting Hideo to glance over.

Hideo looks mildly uncomfortable at the sight of the curved dagger. "Geez Marquis, that one's… uh... pretty scary looking. Can I hold it?" He sets the bayonet down.

"Yah!" Ignoring his request, Marquis jumps backward, wielding the knife in one hand. "Yah! Yah!" She cries, slashing the air in a direction away from Hideo as though dicing up a helpless shadow. After unleashing a rapid combo of stabs and slices, Marquis stops for a breath. "Hoo… how were my moves, Hidi? Think I could cut a shadow to pieces with this bad boy?"  
"I mean, probably? That thing looks like it could cut through quite a lot."

"You bring up a good point." She begins, not actually listening to Hideo's response. "I won't know until I test it, after all. But doing so in the field of combat would be too risky, soo…" With a rapid pivot, Marquis now faces Hideo, crouching slightly as though ready to pounce. "Can I stab you, Hideo? It's for the greater good."

"WHA-?" Hideo shouts in horror, backing away. "W-what? No way, get away from me."

Marquis rolls her eyes, continuing the prowling advance. "I meant in the Dreamlands, Hidiot. That way we can just have Biff heal you with a handy-dandy dia from his Narcissus thing."

Hideo holds up his hands defensively, trying to keep Marquis at bay. "I'd still have to get stabbed for that to happen. I don't want to get stabbed!"

"Hideo, it's for the greater good. I need to test this knife's sharpness or I could die in a shadow fight. And if I die in a shadow fight, we might not be able to beat the King. In that case, everyone on Earth could die. If you don't let me stab you I'm going to die, and then everyone else is going to die and it'll all be your fault."

Hideo scrunches up his brow. "Marquis. You. Are. Not. Stabbing. Me."

"Maybe not with your permission," She mutters under her breath.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing. Let's go see what Biff's doing."

"Hm… ok." With that said, Hideo and Marquis walk up to the counter, Marquis carrying the wicked knife along with her. The two arrive just as Biff and Abe's conversation comes to an end.

"Oh, hello Marquis. I didn't see it was you who came in. Back to buying knives, I see." Abe comments with a laugh.

Marquis nods earnestly, placing the knife and several bills of varying worth on the counter. "Yeah, this one's a real beaut, Abe. Great work as always." She smiles cheerfully before jutting a thumb towards Biff and Hideo. "Also I decided to bring these chumps along."

"You know each other?" Hideo asks quizzically. Honestly, he thought that he and Biff were the only people in the world that Marquis actually knew.

"Well duh, where else would I get my sweet collection of knives?" Marquis throws her hands up in saying so, as though it were completely self-evident. "Pay attention to context clues, Hidiot."

Hideo pouts and crosses his arms. "You better quit calling me Hidiot."

Chuckling lightly at the exchange, Abe hands Marquis her brand new knife before turning back to Biff. "Now what can I get you boys? Ya lookin' for a sword? An axe?"

"Ooh!" Hideo snaps out of his doldrums and interjects. "Do you have any scythes? Like really big grim-reaper scythes?"

"You want a scythe? Like… the farming tool…?"

"W-well yeah, but it's not very cool if you put it that way." Hideo looks slightly discouraged as he continues. "I was th- oh, wait, my name's Hideo Kotchi by the way."

"Nice to meet ya, Kotchi."

"Nice to meet you too. Anyways, I was thinking something more menacing and combat oriented, ya know, for swingin' around." To demonstrate his point, Hideo takes a step back and makes a quarter-rotation, positioning his hands as though gripping a scythe before pretending to spin it overhead and slash horizontally with a sweep.

"Woah! Nice one, Hidi!" The fighting practice riles Marquis up, quickly filling her with the desire to pretend she's fighting shadows as well. In one fluid motion, she leaps at a point in the floor near Hideo and begins swinging the knife haphazardly, almost cutting her invisible scythe-wielding partner.

"Ah!" Hideo jumps back from Marquis, glowering at her and dropping his hands to his sides. "Damnit, I told you not to stab me!" He shouts.

"Well, then you shouldn't have been in the way."

The two start bickering back and forth, prompting Biff to sigh and turn back to Abe. The older man speaks up, addressing Biff now. "I guess I could try my hand at making a scythe… but what're you looking for, Chanum?"

Biff gestures as he speaks, holding his hands about three-quarters of a meter apart to indicate size. "Do you have any clubs?"

"Clubs?"

"Like… uh… a caveman club?"

Abe scratches his head, a perplexed look on his face. "You kids have some odd choice in weapon. Naw, I don't have any-never got a request like that. But if I'm building a scythe for ya friend there I'll go ahead and make you a killer club-my woodworkin' skills could use some work. Anything specific you want in it?"

Biff grins and waves a hand in denial. "Nah, surprise me. Thanks for this, by the way."

"It's my pleasure; I'm glad to expand my work." Abe looks past Biff to Hideo who is still trapped in an argument. "Hey, kid… HEY!" Hideo winces upon getting yelled at, not at all expecting Abe's booming call. Lowering his voice to normal levels of gruffness, the man resumes. "Any specifics on ya scythe?"

Hideo grins goofily, pleased that this is going to go through. "Ooh, you're actually making it? Um…" He looks down at himself and his lean frame, suddenly appearing slightly awkward. "Could you make it big, but not too big that I can't hold it… please."

"Sure." Abe grunts, writing the orders down in a notepad he had lying next to his register. "Everything together'll probably come out to about forty-thousand yen-won't know the exact price 'till I make it. I can have it all done by Sunday at the soonest."

Biff nods curtly, turning back to his friends. "Alright," He says, addressing Abe. "Thanks again, man. We'll see you then."

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, Mr. Abe," Hideo adds as well.

Marquis says nothing, too busy playing with her new knife.

"No problem, you kids take it easy. Don't get into any trouble or nothin'"

Biff gestures towards the exit, urging his friends to start making their way out. "Time to take our leave, get moving, Hidi." As Hideo and Marquis leave, Biff begins to follow only to be addressed once more by Abe before he can step out.

"Hey, Chanum. Before you go…" The door in front of Biff swings shut due to the delay while he turns his head to face Abe from across the room. "I couldn't help but notice that that Marquis girl looked… a lot lighter than usual." Biff raises an eyebrow, silently suggesting Abe should go on. "Well, she'd always been cheery and more than a little odd… but… uh… there used to be something in her eyes, like… like a sadness hidden away. Actually, now that I think of it, it looked more like a burden she was carrying somewhere in her heart, you get what I'm sayin'? Anyways, point is that I didn't see it at all today-she looked genuinely happy."

There's no need for further words, so with a meaningful nod that conveys everything he needs to get across, Biff slowly turns and exits the shop, finding Hideo and Marquis standing outside and looking up at the sky.

"Oh neato," Hideo says, holding a hand above his eyes in order to block the bright midday sunlight. "The rain's cleared away."

"Now poor little Hidi won't get wet anymore. Thank goodness," Marquis giggles, nudging Hideo on the shoulder, causing the boy to pout and turn away. "Ooh, Biff's out! Shall we depart?"

Biff steps down the single stair leading into the shop, walking out on the concrete sidewalk and looking up into the still overcast sky. "Yeah sure, we've got some time to kill, let's walk around for a bit."

The trio departs down the street, chatting and walking in a straight line next to each other. "You know… I was thinking about it earlier when we were in the shop…" Hideo abruptly begins, changing the subject once Biff and Marquis quit discussing whether it's possible for the Dreamlands to generate a food court of sorts full of exotic Dreamlands cuisine. They concluded that if someone viewed life as a metaphorical food court filled with unknown, mysterious, metaphorical dishes, then it would certainly be plausible. "Is the possibility of Miho keeping tabs on us really that bad of a notion?"

Biff furrows his brow at the question, speaking firmly. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course, it's that bad; we can't go into the Dreamlands through the school without getting hounded."

Hideo shakes his head, explaining his point further by gesticulating with his hands. "But not really; what's the worst that could happen? She follows us as we enter the practice building and then the Dreamlands? I mean, hear me out-she could awaken to a persona, just like we did. That might be just the edge we need to take out the King!"

Squinting dubiously at Hideo, Biff retorts with a smug grin. "You just want Miho to be on the team, don't you, ya little sweetheart."

"Wha-? I-I… that's not why… I uh… I was just thinking tactically... " Hideo blushes and quickly turns away, placing his hands in his coat pockets and casting his eyes down.

"Mhmm…" Biff mumbles, his smile growing at Hideo's sheepish reaction, a grin that's quickly replaced by a grave, contemplative grimace. "But no, seriously though, there's no way we could do that..." Hideo raises his head to face Biff again upon hearing the beginning of his response. "...While having another persona user would be nice, we don't trick people into entering the Dreamlands so we can get more of them. That's just not how we roll, because not only is it kinda cruel due to emotional trauma and all, but we have no way of predicting what would happen inside-they could just as easily get killed by a shadow as actually awaken a persona. If we absolutely need to enter the Dreamlands we'll just do it through the Tokyo entrance. And if nothing changes regarding Miho, well, we might actually need to."

With Biff in the middle of the trio, Marquis speaks up from the other side, raising a finger to make her point known. "And also we don't even know if they'd be able to do it. Getting a sweet, sweet persona is based on having the will to fight your own hopelessness, right? So if someone doesn't actually have the fighting spirit to do so they'd kinda be screwed and useless. Even if they seem like the most confident person ever-like Miho-their shadow's kinda an unpredictable little bugger, and we don't know how they'll react to it." She smiles contentedly, proud of herself for contributing to the conversation and flexing some shadow knowledge.

Hideo frowns despondently and scratches the back of his head while responding, "Ah… yeah, you guys are completely right. My bad..." He looks away again, slightly disappointed to be completely honest. While having Miho on the team would be great and all, like, the best case scenario for Hideo, that wasn't what he was really looking to get out of having her enter the Dreamlands. Hideo'd never say it out loud, but the question of Miho's inexplicable behavior when facing Marquis has been constantly lingering in the back of his mind, and it stood to reason that her shadow would be willing and able to answer it. _Biff's right though, we could never put her in danger like that. I could never forgive myself if she got hurt. Wait… is me thinking about letting Miho enter the Dreamlands selfish? In retrospect, it really seems like it… Damnit, what the hell's wrong with me? Have I really changed? Am I still… a bad person…?_ Seemingly out of nowhere, a whirlwind of doubts consumes Hideo's thoughts, instantly interrupted by Biff clapping him on the back.

Noticing Hideo suddenly start brooding, Biff moves to cheer him up before Marquis sees anything. "Ah, but don't sweat it, Hidi. Can't blame you for wanting to get closer to Miho, it's only human." He flashes a reassuring yet knowing smile as he speaks completely casually. "And I know that if she ever did fall into the Dreamlands-accident or not-you'd fight to your last breath to get her out safe n' sound. Love is an incredible motivator."

Mildly startled-and touched-by the seemingly nonchalant words, Hideo's own internal monologue falters as he interprets the serious undertones in Biff's eyes. _Wh-wha-? Only… human…? Could Biff tell what I was thinking…? Heh_. At once, he's feeling much better, the doubts dissipating instantly. _Even if not, thanks Biff… only human…_ Suddenly he goes wide-eyed, realizing that he forgot to defend his honor. Hideo balls his fists and stomps on the ground. "And I'm not. In love. WITH MIHO!"

Biff grins mischievously upon getting a rise from Hideo. _Yeah,_ he thinks, honestly relieved to see his friend act like his normal self. _He's just fine._

The trio continues walking for a while, spending their time by looking around several various stores that Marquis drags them to, as well as visiting the ramen shop that Hideo works at in order to get a feel for the place. Hideo opts to wait outside. In all, the afternoon is pleasant and relaxing, the Dreamlands only being brought up in casual conversation such as Marquis detailing her new ideas for stabbing shadows. Once it gets late enough, the group says their goodbyes and take off for their respective homes. In salutations, Biff reminds everyone, "Get some rest and make sure you're completely ready to go Monday. That's when we're going after the King-can't wait too long, imminent destruction and all." Marquis dashes towards the train station in order to make it to the Dreamlands before it gets too dark while Biff and Hideo walk together into the housing district, discussing the varied cute girls in their homeroom class now that Marquis is gone. Eventually, they too have to split. Making it back to the Ryleigh's house, Biff hangs out with the family for a while, eats dinner, then heads to bed.

4/14-4/15

On Saturday and Sunday, the members of MIFAS don't convene after school, instead going their own separate ways in order to prepare for the promised day on Monday. Actually, that claim was wrong, MIFAS never _officially_ convenes, but on Sunday the fifteenth, Marquis shows up at Hideo's house out of boredom, the two quickly being pulled into an awkward side-adventure in the Dreamlands. But that's a tale for another time.

Biff spends Saturday once school's over hanging out with Hanae and watching some Japanese TV (which he finds even stupider than American TV (but somehow more entertaining)). His Sunday consists of light exercise to prepare for the next day, along with a lot of rest to make sure his body's in perfect condition for kicking some major King ass. In a brief moment of lucidity, he even picks up a book to read-one called _Forever Macho_. At the conclusion of his literary experience, Biff somehow feels like his courage has increased, having learned some valuable tactics for being as masculine as possible. "Well that's freakin' weird. Who knew books were useful?" Sunday evening, Biff pulls himself into bed early, shutting his eyes and anticipating a visit to the Velvet Room. Tonight seems like the kind of night they'd summon him, after all.

4/16

Miho Fuiji sits up in bed and immediately grimaces. The weekend's over and it's time to go back to school. As stereotypical as dreading the upcoming week soundssounds, Miho was really enjoying aher silent Sunday off to recuperate after an especially stressful week. Emphasis on silent, as she was once again completely alone in the house-not that it's anything out of the norm. She falls back in bed, groaning. Currently, it's 5:30 in the morning, and she has to be at school two hours early-at 6:30-to prepare for a class meeting. Miho addresses the class body to discuss student council plans once a month, and it just so happens that this time around it falls on this specific Monday-MIFAS' promised assassination day. Meetings such as this generally happen in the gym, but due to the closing of the practice building, she's had no choice but to hold it in the school entry hall despite how packed it'll undoubtedly be. Of course, it probably would've been a better idea to get these preparations done on Saturday, but between keeping an eye on Biff, Hideo, and Marquis, and a killer migraine, she decided to put it off until this morning. As fate would have it, the morning came along, and now she has to get up.

It takes a while to muster the will to rise from bed, but eventually, Miho slides her sheets off and steps out. She expressionlessly undresses and exits her room, crossing the desolate hallway to take a shower in the bathroom directly opposite. There's no need to worry about someone seeing her in the buff, as she's still the only one home. Her father (the only other person she lives with) is once again off on a business trip, and the house is hers to watch over for anywhere between one week to several. Once properly cleaned, Miho gets ready for the day and dresses in her usual attire of the basic school uniform jacket over a pink frilled-neck dress shirt and black stockings along with a wide, white bow tied over her ponytail.

Her preparations finished, she spends several long minutes examining herself in the mirror-her fair-skinned, small-featured face, often described by peers as "freakin' hot," her icy piercing eyes that gaze coldly back, her deadpan expression turning the corners of her lips slightly down before suddenly disappearing into a classic trademark smile, the gentleness of her amiability replacing any detachment present in her visage. Finished brooding, Miho exits and descends the staircase leading to the second floor.

She briefly glances about the remarkably unembellished house before entering the kitchen. Both floors of the building are painted in a palette mostly of pale blues and greys, both bleak colors bouncing off of each other in order to kill the atmosphere of an already dreary place. Miho eats a bowl of cereal, contemplating the fact that since her confrontation with Marquis, the trio in question hasn't done anything even mildly suspicious, all of them heading home right after school. _They could just be lying low…_ She can't help but think despite knowing it's most likely unfounded suspicions that trouble her. Regardless of Biff and Hideo, there's always the question of what to do about Marquis' fake information, though Miho pushes away that troubling thought, not feeling up to the mental debate.

Done eating, she rigidly stands, grabs her tote bag, and begins the early morning walk to Makisini High. An underlying sense of dread accompanies the approach of a new week and all the stress that accompanies it, but Miho chooses to not think much about her own apprehension, instead choosing to occupy herself by considering what she'll do once she gets home later today. Eventually, she arrives at the school, climbing the hill leading to its gate before unlocking the front door with a key the principal entrusted her with. Despite being the only person present in the building, she enters nonetheless-it's not the first time, after all. "Alright," Miho says to herself, looking around the dimly-lit school. "Got plenty to do and plenty of time… but first the bathroom."

It suddenly strikes her that she really has to use the restroom, so Miho briskly walks around the corner of the building over to the backside that faces the practice building and into the women's room. Once done, she exits and looks around once more, slightly on edge from the creepiness inherent in being isolated within such a big building. As her eyes scan past the full-wall windows that look out on the courtyard, she abruptly stops in bewilderment, an unexpected sight drawing her gaze. "What...?" Within the practice building's wide-open windows, a radiant purple light gushes out of one of the hallways, illuminating much of the visible space.

She stares at the spectacle for several moments, utterly befuddled until eventually the wave of light ebbs and fades to a dull glow. After several more moments, it intensifies, one again radiating outward like a lighthouse beacon. "...That's new."

The first thought that immediately comes to mind is whether or not this has to do with the practice building being closed. All the principal had told her before the year started was simply that it _was_ closed, not _why_. Looking back up to try and make sense of what's before her, suddenly Miho feels a sort of yanking sensation in her heart. As though a string was tied deep within her chest, she feels like something within is pulling her forward, even beckoning her to come forth.

"Mm…" She mutters, naturally questioning this irrational urge, yet inexplicably drawn to what's hiding inside the practice building. "I probably shouldn't… but if I walk away now it's just gonna bother me all day long." She lets out a sharp breath, now considering not even going, as rationale dictates that it's probably just something like a faulty light. "Not like there's actually going to be anything of significance..." The beckoning call within her heart intensifies, clouding Miho's doubts and urging her to slowly pace towards the door leading to the courtyard, nervously fiddling with her hands.

As she pushes the door open and steps outside, Miho at once feels a creeping fear crawling up from the depths of her heart, filling her with intense anxiety that combines with the driving curiosity, the two contrasting emotions blending to create a wholly uncomfortable mix. She stops in her tracks and thinks her next move over, the instinctive fear spontaneously giving rise to more doubt. Miho briefly considers turning back-she does have work to do after all-when suddenly another thought comes to mind: This is right about the location where Biff Chanum and Hideo Kotchi went missing on the tour. Despite her suspicions towards them most likely being utterly unfounded, she can't help but wonder if the two facts are related. _A mysterious purple light and the two odd boys…? Could they actually be connected? It kinda makes sense. But they were gone for hours at the least, much longer than just checking out a light would take… what the hell's going on in the practice building?_ While deep in thought she had begun to gaze down, but now Miho's view snaps up and towards the purple beams shining outward.

In the end, curiosity wins out over terror, and Miho can't help herself but be even more resolutely drawn towards whatever's held within. She draws her school keys and approaches the practice building door, expecting it to be sealed tight, but upon pulling on the handle she finds that for some inexplicable reason it swings open as she tugs. "What… why…? If the building's closed then why is it unlocked…? Kids could just walk on in..." Her gaze once more is drawn up, staring deeply into the darkness within, dimly lit only by the subsiding purple glow. She yanks the door all the way open and quickly rushes, the painfully clashing emotions driving her to try and resolve this as quickly as possible.

Miho paces restlessly down the dismal hallway towards whatever the mysterious source of light is, turning once she reaches a perpendicular, wider hall. This larger room functions as a sort of pseudo-foyer, several hallways leading off from it to the four corners of the building. At the opposite side-directly across from where Miho stands-sits a wide, dark, wooden doorway, opened ever so slightly. Beaming out of the cracks in the doorframe and the small, slanted opening, the purple light intensifies from within, casting lavender-colored radiance along all the surrounding halls and Miho's trembling figure. She opens her mouth as though to speak to herself once more, but no words come out, the inexplicably intense fear of what lies ahead paralyzing her body and commanding all of her attention. Feeling her knees shake underneath, threatening to give out, yet unable to look away and drawn by supernatural curiosity that overpowers all fear, Miho takes a furtive step forward, her expression blank and entranced by the radiance. As she gets closer she has no choice but to raise a hand in defense of her vision against the overpowering light. Several more gradual strained steps pass, all of which demanding resistance of the repulsing fear with all the will Miho can muster until eventually, a hand rests on the rounded doorknob of the already marginally agape door.

Miho breathes deeply, summoning the internal strength within. In one forceful motion, she swings the door wide open, allowing it to slam into the wall on the other side. Contained within is the source of the enigmatic light, and while she wasn't sure what to expect, she certainly didn't anticipate a baseball-sized, teardrop-shaped, glowing tear in space floating at about chest level. The rift shimmers gently as its light subsides, affording Miho a better view of its contour.

All outside questions such as Biff and Hideo's involvement or why the building is unlocked have been abandoned, her cognition wholly replaced with the two elementary emotions of intrigue and terror. Miho can't help but unconsciously allow her thoughts to tumble forth from her lips as horrified awe expands in her heart. "What… is…" Out of nowhere, her comment is interrupted by a force slamming into her from behind, instantaneously knocking Miho forward and off balance towards the rift, sending her tumbling headfirst into a brand new world.


	8. A Hostage in the Dreamlands

4/16

Biff's eyes snap open as soon as he closes his eyes, revealing the endless darkness of the Velvet Room stretching on into a dismal infinity. The roaring bonfire of his heart casts an all-encompassing warmth over his face and frontal body as it enshrouds the Room's residents in silhouettes. "Welcome to the Velvet Room," calls a friendly yet wizened voice-Igor, master of this otherworldly place. "I have summoned you here once again in a dream."

"...Hey there, Igor." Biff nods at his mentor of sorts. "Am I here 'cause of the whole Abe thing? I felt that neat magic bond energy and then her voice…" He casually gestures towards Safie. "...lectured me about friendship again. Wait, that reminds me: Why the hell do I keep hearing Safie's voice in my head whenever something important happens?"

Igor hesitates for a moment, bridging his hands and resting his elongated nose on top. For once in all the times he's visited, Biff can sense a touch of emotion in the man's expression besides the usual prudent geniality-a slight concern, or maybe unease is a better word, that in turn makes Biff mildly worried due to its contrast from previous behavior.

Igor closes his eyes and breathes in sharply, speaking in the same kindly tone as always. "Yes, Mr. Chanum… but that's not the only reason I summoned you here." Opening his eyes once more, he shifts his gaze from Biff to his assistant. "Safie," he says, coaxing her to step forward.

Safie extends the bulky tome which she always grips close to her chest. As she reaches out, the book's pages spread apart on their own, at once summoning a slowly rotating, glowing blue tarot card. Inscribed on the face of the holographic card is a minimalistically drawn, crumbling black tower lined with red windows. An arrow strikes the tower from the skies above, breaking it upon impact and sending several human figures diving out. Initially unable to see any more of Safie's face beyond a silhouette cast by the roaring flame, the shimmering sapphire light of the tarot card illuminates her grim visage. Despite lips turned ever so slightly downwards as though trying-and failing-to conceal a somber melancholy, she manages to summon the same professionalism as always when speaking to Biff. "Through genuine personal interest and meaningful interaction with the man named Abe, you have taken another step in the realization of your destiny. With him, you have established the Persona of the Tower. I'd recommend you nourish this bond such that your power grows greater and your future grows brighter." With these words, the tarot card begins glowing to an increased degree before suddenly flying off into the bonfire behind Safie, instantly being consumed and increasing the flame's intensity`by several inches.

Having fulfilled her Velvet Room duties, Safie forcefully closes the book, causing a loud slam to pierce the room's silence, previously only broken by the steady crackling of the fire. "Oh!" She exclaims, jumping in surprise when the compendium slams. "Sorry, I… uh… didn't mean to close it so hard." Another moment passes in silence, her expression once more shrouded in darkness such that Biff can't see what she's thinking. As his eyes adjust, Safie's face becomes slightly more visible, affording a view of her intensely puzzled gaze directed towards Biff, as though she has a lot to say but isn't quite sure where to start.

"If... I could offer some advice for the furtherment of your newfound bond," she begins, "I would suggest you be cognizant of Mr. Abe's own internal struggle. Though gruff on the outside, he is a man deeply emotionally conflicted, and you may find yourself in a position to aid him in making sense of the pain."

Biff nods affirmatively. He had picked up on these details during his initial interaction with Abe, but Safie's call to action once more inspires him to work towards the development of bonds. "Thanks," he says succinctly before turning to Igor. "Now're we all set here? I've got a big day tomorrow and could use a couple hours of actual sleep."

Igor's eyes meet Biff's own and his tightly pressed lips curve into an inhumanly wide smile. "Ah... I'm afraid I can't let you go just yet, the events of tomorrow are exactly what I've summoned you here for."

"Oh yeah, that's right."

Safie picks up the conversation once again, addressing Biff in a tone that tries to be casual, as though striking up a normal conversation, despite her obviously concerned expression. "Your greatest trial begins tomorrow, doesn't it?"

"Yup," Biff responds, rustling both hands through his shoulder-length hair-an unconscious habit he's recently gotten into as a result of Dreamlands-induced stress. Over the last couple days, he's been putting a lot of thought into their upcoming expedition. There's no doubt this'll be their toughest fight yet, and as much confidence as he has in the abilities of himself and his friends, troublesome worries undoubtedly creep into his mind. Whenever such concerns come about, though, he usually just decides that there's no time to be doubtful and pushes them away. They've got to do this one way or another, and they'll face it head on before tackling whatever else comes their way. "We're goin' after the King for real this time." He crushes his left fist into his right palm. "And I'm feelin' pretty damn good about my Persona power. It'll be tough, but we can do it."  
Safie pauses, looking fairly worried in response to Biff's assertions. "I have no doubt in the strength of you and your allies, but be careful not to take on too much at once."

"Huh?" He wasn't expecting that response, so it's left him slightly off guard.

"Emotionally, I mean. Tomorrow, you will find yourself facing a myriad of surprises in addition to your test of strength. In the end, you will find the expanse of your troubles to have grown even further than you'd imagined."

Biff's brow furrows in mild frustration. "The hell? That's pretty damn vague."

Offering no response to his statement, she continues, "You have already taken on so much, and as this room reflects the state of your heart, I can sense the strain it's put you under. Such a burden should never be undertaken alone-no one man can bear the weight of the world by himself. I advise you to always trust in the power of your bonds, only then will you be able to carry the weight of your destiny."

Sure, he can't deny he's been feeling somewhat stressed out over the prospect of the world's future relying on him-a trouble he's been mostly suppressing by putting most of his focus on resolving the Dreamlands trouble as soon as possible, but in the end, this is his responsibility to deal with. He's not sure exactly what Safie's getting at, but if she's suggesting he place this burden on someone else, well, Biff wouldn't allow that. It'd just feel like giving up. And anyway, he's always known that he never could've made it without Hideo and Marquis by his side. She does bring up some good points, though; in the world of personas and shadows, bonds are strength, so Biff'll have to take care not to forget what he's fighting for. "Alright… thanks for the heads up, by the way."

Safie nods in response, stepping back to her master's side. "It is our pleasure."

Igor exhales loudly through his elongated nose, addressing Biff once more in the same wizened voice that seemingly never changes. "Fueled by bonds, we will see if the fire of your heart can successfully stave off the encroaching darkness. Time runs out on us, though; the morning fast approaches. I bid you farewell until we meet again."

Waking up safely returned to his bed, Biff immediately sits up straight, causing his blanket to fall off slightly. A mild stressful headache begins to tear at the fringe of his brain as a plethora of concerns regarding Safie's words and his upcoming tribulation rush through his mind all at once. Despite trying to get a clear answer, Biff's friends in the Velvet Room refuse to fill him in on much more than vaguely ominous threats. And what Safie said regarding a 'myriad of surprises,' it feels like they know more than they let on. Biff sighs and slides out from under his covers. Regardless of what lies in store, though, there's no way for him to find out besides jumping right in-worrying himself sick won't do much to help.

Newly resolved and already drawn into thinking about his after-school plans, Biff's fist unconsciously balls up as he recalls the overarching truth that the fate of Mata and possibly all the world lies upon his actions. The faces of Hideo, Marquis, Hanae, Abe, and all the other people he's interacted with since moving to Japan flash through his mind. "We'll do this…" He mutters to himself. "We don't have any other choice…"

But before their fates can be decided, Biff still has a fairly normal day of school to attend. He quickly dons his brown leather jacket over the Makisini High uniform and prepares for the day. After greeting him once he walks in the kitchen, Asami serves Biff and Hanae a pleasant breakfast before shooing the duo out the door to keep them from being late. They make small talk during the short hike, parting within the front doors as Hanae heads down a first-year hall and Biff makes his way up the stairs.

After making it to the second floor, Biff intends to turn down the hall towards class 2F, but stops when a familiar figure catches his eye. Though it's not Hideo this time, casually striding towards Biff is none other than Boto, standing out among the other students in his black peacoat and leather eyepatch. Boto doesn't appear to notice Biff initially, but stops in his tracks once he sees the golden-haired hero emerge from the stairwell before him. "Oh! Heya, Chanum!" He gives a curt wave with his right hand, drawing an unconscious grin from Biff.

"Hi there, Boto," Biff says. "Feels like it's been forever since I've seen ya."

"Ooh, we on a first-name basis?" Boto responds cheekily, smiling in a pleased manner.

"Where I'm from, you're always on a first-name basis."

"Gee, America sounds like a wonderful place." The two boys chuckle at their joke bouncing off of each other. Rekindling the conversation, Boto changes the subject and smirks devilishly. "You know…" He looks around as though making sure that no one is eavesdropping. "You and your buddies have gotten to be quite the talk of the town. Or wait, actually more talk of the school. Not town."

Biff raises an eyebrow and purses his lips, his carefree demeanor suddenly shifting to wariness. "My buddies? The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh, yeah. You, that Hideo guy, and some girl named Marquis. I heard a few folks chatting about you."

"That's… good to know." Biff isn't sure what to think about being discussed. Should he be flattered? Actually, now that he thinks about it, it probably depends on context. If there are more people doubting them like Miho already has, well, they'd have a pretty big problem on their hands. "All good things, I'd hope?" He asks, hoping to glean some more insight.

"Ooh, of course," Boto says with a chuckle. "You all're a real big hit with the ladies so far. Can't say I'm not jealous. Wait, well, that Marquis isn't a hit with the ladies. Well... no ladies that I've talked to, at least. I did hear some guys mention she's got a real 'mysterious in a weird way' vibe which I think is a good thing."

Boto's informational gathering skills are nothing short of impressive, granting Biff some relief in knowing that Miho's probably the only one actually suspicious of them. And anyway, prestige with the ladies is always a virtue. Deciding to ease up the interrogation, Biff grins once more. "You ever meet Marquis?"

"Me?" Boto replies immediately, appearing oddly surprised at being addressed. "Nah, but I've seen her in the halls. Red hair and a golden eye, right?"

"Yeah," Biff nods. "Well, she's definitely the 'mysterious in a weird way' type."

"Huh."

'Hey, Boto!" A new, fairly high-pitched pair of voices abruptly call out, interrupting the two boys' very important discussion. Walking past Biff and Boto are two female students that wave with big smiles as they move onwards to class.

"Oh! Hey there!" Boto quickly chirps in response, waving back and winking (or is it blinking considering the whole one eye situation).

The two girls go back to their own conversation after greeting Boto, prompting Biff to smirk slyly. "Hmhm… looks like I'm not the only one hittin' it off with the ladies."

Boto goes slightly red and runs a hand through his short, greased back hair. "Ah- I… they're just some friends in my class, geez."

"Mhmm," Biff murmurs, maintaining a doubtful grin so as to further antagonize Boto.

Boto offers no such desired response-it would appear he's a bit more resilient than Hideo is. The same joke would've probably caused poor Hideo to get extremely awkward and freak out-a fact Biff silently takes note of. "Well, besides the um… 'sex appeal,' there's just been a lot of stupid rumors going around about you guys in specific for some reason. I'm really not sure why, but none of them make sense-they're mostly just things like 'Oh, I heard that Chanum and his friends are monster hunters.' Like, what's that even supposed to mean? What kind of monsters do they think you're hunting?"

Though he doesn't let it show, Biff clenches his teeth, a slight apprehension already creeping in. _That's… an oddly true rumor. Damnit, I swear, if Hideo was running his mouth I'm gonna be pissed off. No… no, he wouldn't do that; he's not that much of an idiot-it's probably just a weird coincidence._ Casting away any worries, Biff lets out the breath he had unconsciously been holding and laughs dismissively. "That's pretty stupid. Well, I'm pretty sure we're not any sort of monster hunters."

Boto grins, seemingly not having noticed Biff's internal deliberation. "Good to know. I'd hope there aren't any monsters around. Though, if there were, you seem like the type to hunt them."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Scratching the back of his head as he searches for words, Boto falters, not expecting to have to go more in-depth with his odd compliment. "A-ah, well… uh, I dunno, you just seem like a confident guy, ya know? Oh geez, that was a stupid thing to say. Um… I meant, like, the type who'd valiantly slay evil-doers." He cringes at his own words. "That was even stupider." Biff chuckles in response, deciding to take this as a commendation. Trying to change the subject as quickly as possible, Boto raises his left arm and glances at a black wrist-watch. "Would you look at the time; it's almost 8:15-gotta get to class soon."

Biff grins in his regular, faintly cocky manner before speaking once more. "Hm, good point. Well, nice seein' ya again. Feel free to come on by if you see me and 'my buddies' loitering around." He uses finger quotations on 'my buddies,' mimicking Boto's earlier words.

"Oh! Oh, yeah of course! Thanks!" Despite looking slightly awkward after being mocked, Boto smiles contentedly. "We'll have to hang out sometime. Maybe you can uh… teach me some of your monster hunting skills that I've heard so much about."

Biff rolls his eyes good-humoredly. "I suppose I can show you a thing or two."

"Sweet! Us transfers have to stick together, ya know? It's a cruel world out there."

Amid the stupid jokes that would put even Hideo to shame, Biff can pick up on the genuine friendliness Boto tries so hard to put out. Quite frankly, Biff has a tendency to give off a bit of an abrasive, antagonistic persona when interacting with others, but regardless, Boto seems to have taken a liking to him. Furthermore, despite being transferred to the bland microcosm of Mata most likely against his will, Boto retains a virtuous optimism and desire to pursue friendship-a youthful hope that is nothing short of inspiring to Biff who already gains much of his strength from the emotions of others.

Like a refreshing aura, this hope radiates outwards, in turn granting Biff hope for the future. People such as Boto-people whose own subtle responses to life define their unique characters-are what Biff fights for; to protect the futures of those who still have a life to lead and a passion to do so. Whatever happens, he can't allow all that's been built up to collapse at the hands of some worthless Shadows-tonight's the night, after all, so he's going to be doing everything he can to protect not only Boto but countless others that are like him in their infinite uniqueness.

The budding friendship with Boto once more inspires Biff to always keep fighting for what's right. As this thought crosses his mind, a blissful sensation washes over his body, and Safie's voice calls to him, affirming the glimmer of hope Boto has awakened.

I am Thou, Thou art I

Thou hast acquired a new bond.

It shall awaken the passion of thine spirit,

and fuel the flame of thine heart

With the birth of the Moon Persona

Thou shalt share the burden of responsibility

In facing the tribulation of thine destiny

Biff closes his eyes as a gentle, comforting warmth slowly envelops every inch of his body like a creeping wave. While this gradually fades, the familiar sensation of pent-up energy lingers in its place, reminiscent of the feeling invoked by Cthulhu's awakening. After several seconds, the energy drains from his limbs, concentrating in Biff's heart before dissolving.

Squinting his sly features into a suddenly anxious grimace, Boto glances behind himself before back to Biff. "Um… we actually do really need to go now. I'll see you around, man." And with that said, he gives a terse wave before quickly walking off in the direction he had been headed previously-down the hall to Biff's right at the top of the perpendicular staircase.

Biff offers no response considering Boto immediately retreated, yet once the slight figure disappears into the crowd of milling students, he can't help but mutter to himself as he heads to class 2F. "Damn… he really rocks the eyepatch."

Upon arriving before his classroom door and pushing his in, the first thing Biff immediately notices is the wholly awkward atmosphere. Something seems off-or rather missing from the already familiar environment. After searching around for a moment, he's figured it out: the crowd that usually surrounds Miho Fuiji is without their centerpiece-Miho isn't here, leaving her groupies in an aimless state of sullen discussion with only each other. The second thing Biff notices is Hideo sitting by himself towards the back of the class.

"Hey, Hidi," Biff calls, turning from the other students and approaching his comrade in arms.

"Hey Biff," Hideo replies drearily, an evident lack of enthusiasm in his words. "Today's the day. Big day, um… big things to do."

"Yeah, pretty much. You seem bummed; not lookin' forward to tonight?"

"Oh!" Hideo perks up, hastily trying to dispel any dread from his face. "No, no that's not it. Well, that's kinda it. It's just such a gloomy day today, ya know? Really uh… takes the edge off my fighting spirit."

Biff glances out the window. The overcast weather from yesterday has returned with fervor, bringing in black, rolling clouds that hang low overhead, threatening to unleash a torrential downpour at any moment. "Mmm…" Biff murmurs, looking around the class once more. He previously hadn't noticed, but Hideo's right. "Yeah… and everyone seems like they're just sitting around waiting for something bad to happen."

Hideo gives Biff a funny look for a moment before rapping his palms on his desk and trying to liven the mood. "At this rate, we're just going to psyche ourselves out. Can't get nervous this far before the big fight… aha… let's save the worrying for when something bad actually happens."

Biff begins to nod, planning on vocalizing his concurrence. Emphasis on the fact that he's planning on vocalizing his concurrence considering the opportunity to do so is abruptly interrupted by something bad actually happening. And that something bad came screaming through the classroom door, much to the chagrin of the other students.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH," Cries a voice from the hallway, slowly increasing in intensity before arriving just outside classroom 2F. There's a brief delay in motion before the door is forcefully thrown open, revealing Marquis standing on the other side, wide-eyed and panting from exhaustion.

She places her hands on her knees and sucks in several deep breaths, affording everyone else in the school a break from the long-winded shouting. Biff and Hideo stand frozen, both caught off guard by Marquis's wild entrance. Being the first to break free of his surprise, Biff scowls dubiously at their female comrade. "What the hell're you doing, Marquis?"

Standing straight up but still breathing heavily, Marquis seems to try and compose herself. She smiles awkwardly at the entire class staring at her before turning towards her stunned friends. "Hey Biff, hey Hidi. We've got a slight problem… uh… may I have a word… Outside" Though there's an attempt at composure, Marquis' voice wavers halfway through the sentence, revealing a thinly veiled panic.

Other students immediately begin whispering a combination of speculation, insults, and gossip among themselves, all pointed towards Marquis. From all directions, the two boys can hear hushed "What is she-" and "I told you they-"

Hideo turns slightly red as everyone around him reacts the spectacle. His lips curl downward in a grimace as he begins to lament Marquis's dramatic display. Before he can utter any sort of condemnation, though, his words are caught in his throat as he catches a glimpse of the wild-eyed anguish in Marquis's eyes that she had tried to hide. Judging by her expression, there's no time to waste. Hideo nudges Biff's shoulder. "Biff… let's go."

Heeding the resolute undertones of his friend's words, Biff nods affirmatively and begins striding confidently towards the exit, either oblivious or indifferent to the stares of his peers. "Up to the roof, Marquis," He says assertively.

With no further response, Marquis turns away from class 2F and begins making her way to the stairwell leading up. Biff and Hideo both follow in turn, and the trio heads directly to the roof, all three remaining in silence, saving all questions for when they're actually alone. The stares provided by everyone still lingering in the hallway makes Hideo feel slightly awkward, though he tries his best not to let it show.

The group files through the metal roof access door and steps into the humid, gently blustery outdoor atmosphere. Immediately beginning with a dramatic sigh, Biff compulsively runs both hands through his hair, ruffling his golden locks. "Alright, I'll ask again. What the hell're you doing? Runnin' through the hallways screaming isn't exactly keeping a low profile. We've already got eyes o-"

Previously having her back turned to Biff and Hideo, Marquis turns around, clearly freaking out over something, her eyes wide and panicked as she hastily speaks. "Miho's in the Dreamlands."  
Biff scoffs mid-sentence, his lecture interrupted. "Hck-! What...?"

Hideo steps backward in shock, the worst possible scenarios already running through his mind. "No way… This can't..."

Marquis grits her teeth and casts her eyes downward, looking slightly uncomfortable. "She's in the Dreamlands-in the castle village thing. I saw her this morning."

Biff turns to Hideo, trying to get a read from his partner. Only receiving a wide-eyed grimace in response, he turns back to Marquis and places a hand on his forehead. "Ok, ok. This is very not good. But we can't mope about it-someone else enterin' the Dreamlands was bound to happen. We should've planned for this, damnit. Shit, ok… Marquis, tell us everything."

She looks up at Biff and purses her lips, still speaking sullenly and out of character. "I did tell you everything."

"No, I mean in detail, come on."

"Oh, yeah, ok." Marquis closes her eyes, as though focusing to gather the required memories. She shakes her head, sending read twintails swinging wildly. After the display, she looks back at Biff and Hideo, the anxiety now somewhat wiped from her expression. "Um… ah… well, from the beginning?"

Biff rolls his eyes. "Yes, from the beginning."

"Ok, so I woke up and I brushed my teeth. Then I was looking for my new knife because I couldn't find it yesterday and I still can't find it and I'm really worried because I really liked-"

"Not that far into the beginning," Biff groans, interrupting her sidetracked rant.

Marquis once again gingerly sneaks into the village. By now, it's almost routine to infiltrate the King's territory on the way to school, and while it certainly is risky, taking this path rather than the Celephais route saves her a forty-five minute trip to Mata from Tokyo, and thus grants an extra forty-five minutes to sleep in. "Nyeh-heh," She snickers, upon reaching the shimmering purple portal without being detected. "Take that, royal pain. You'll never stop me, Marquis, famed infiltrator, spy, and the world's greatest lover." She heard that last line in a movie and thought it was cool.

Her fingers gingerly stretch towards the radiant tear in space. "Come to momma," She mutters, entranced by the ensnaring aura of both all-consuming terror and curiosity. Suddenly,a a piercing scream tears through her cognition. "Uwah?!" She cries, pulling back as the spell is broken by such a loud unexpected noise.

Marquis perks up, looking in the direction of the cry. But the direction of the cry is a large wall considering she's standing in an alley, so she just kinda stands there musing. "Shadows don't scream, well, except for that one…" A chill goes down her spine at the recollection. She suddenly freezes, a simple realization coming to mind. "But if it wasn't a shadow…" The thought sends an aftershock chill running down her spine.

As she contemplates checking it out, her decision is hastened by a familiar condescending voice resounding from somewhere nearby. "Now, now, what do we have here? When my guards reported someone besides _them_ trespassing, I just had to come and see for myself."

"The King…" Marquis grits her teeth, a resolute rage burning in her heart at the sound of her enemy. It pains her to just walk away, but there's no way she could handle the King on her own. She's not too headstrong as to not know when to run, and if caught out by shadows, odds are even the power of Persona couldn't save her. "Per... so... na…" she mutters to herself as though trying out the word. "Wait!" Marquis perks up once more, remembering something important. "But there was a scream… oh no… oh nonononono."

This realization is swiftly confirmed by another familiar voice-a voice both gentle and self-assured, though wavering slightly with fearful panic. "What is this? Where am I? Please…"

Marquis squints, trying to remember who the voice belongs to. All at once, it comes to her, her eyes widening in surprise. The last place she heard it… was the school rooftop... "Fuiji…?" She immediately takes off, running out of the alley and into the streets of the village toward the commotion. "Fuiji…!?" She repeats, incredulous as to why Miho would possibly be here of all places. Ignoring the villagers milling about in the early Dreamlands morning, Marquis blows by her Shadow-peers, knocking several of them to the ground.

Eventually, a group of Shadows comes into sight. Well, Shadows had always been in sight, but unlike the villagers in their human form, these appear more as a myriad of monsters and demons, all forming a circle in the middle of the street as though performing some otherworldly rite. Despite their ring position, there's enough of a gap between the shadows to afford Marquis a view into the center-a view which reveals the last thing she'd want to see right now: the Shadow King in his golden flowing robe standing before a thin female figure. The woman's legs shake underneath her before the towering, menacingly ostentatious foe, and her hand instinctively grips the collar of her pink dress shirt worn underneath a Makisini High blazer. If it weren't for the circumstances, her sakura-colored flowing ponytail would appear breathtaking in the light exuded by the Dreamlands sky.

From roughly twenty meters away, Marquis can't help but call the figure's name upon seeing her in the flesh. "Fuiji?!" Every shadow in the circle turns to face her, prompting Marquis to cover her mouth with her hands as though trying to take back the words. "Wait, no. I didn't mean to say that.

The King and Miho turn as well, the latter going wide-eyed upon seeing a familiar face in such a foreign world. "Marquis?!"

"Fuiji?!" Marquis calls again, feeling like she ought to though not really sure why.

"Halfie," The King growls, his baritone voice reverberating in Marquis' body and shaking her bones, cutting deep like a knife.

"Fuiji!" Marquis calls again. This time she was just doing it for fun.

"Ok, stop it." The King booms. He looks down at Miho with indifference. "Let's cut to the chase. Your little friend here just happened to stumble into _my_ territory. Normally I'd reward trespassing with a swift death, but with my invasion coming up, I can think of a better use. I have a hostage now. Go and tell your little friends, have 'em come here. I'll be waiting." He smiles cruelly, his mouth difficult to make out amid pitch-black features, but his human-like eyes conveying all the malice necessary. "And don't worry, we'll take good care of her… for about a day or two. Then it's…" He draws a golden sword from beneath his cape and points it at Miho, an action to which the girl offers no reply besides taking a step back, fear all at once paralyzing her. The King sheaths his sword once more and makes eye-contact with some shadows. He glances at Marquis and nods, prompting them to break formation and advance towards her.

Marquis begins to back away, the weight of what's happening all at once sinking in, a dreadful pit forming in her stomach and making her feel slightly nauseous. _This is not good… very, very, very not good…_ There's no way whatsoever she can save Miho right now. She'll be torn to pieces in an instant if she tries to rush the King, not to mention the fact Miho would be swiftly killed as well. The dread is followed by panic as she realizes she has no idea what to do. Flight is the natural instinct here, to run all the way to school to get Biff and Hideo, but she hesitates, imagining what Miho's going through. Marquis attempts to catch a glimpse of the girl, to call some sort of encouragement that'll make her feel safe, but no such magic words come to mind, and her sightline is soon obscured by the shadows slowly closing in.

To cover her escape, Marquis raises her left arm, at once summoning her Persona. "Come to me, me! Atlach-Nacha!" The robe-clad woman materializes before her, standing stalwartly as it awaits commands. "Makouha!" Marquis cries, inciting her other self to summon four glowing white orbs that immediately fire a wide wave of light spikes at the shadows. Having launched a satisfactory attack, Marquis whirls around and sprints off, Atlach-Nacha dematerializing into blue energy and disappearing.

Despite the shadows not giving much of a chase, Marquis kept running, the fear of what's to come growing and growing as worst-case scenarios run through her mind. And she didn't stop running until she was right in front of classroom 2F

"And then my Persona was all 'pew pew pew' and I probably killed, what, a dozen shadows? But it wasn't enough, the terrible, disgusting, vile horde kept advancing, and I was forced to make a suave tactical retreat." Marquis drops her hands to the side and slumps her shoulders, drained from the long-winded recollection.

"Shit," Biff mutters, ever elegantly. Quite frankly, he's unsure what to do right now. Everything seems like it's falling apart in an instant, and it could easily get a hell of a lot worse from here. He grimaces as the doubts creep in, preemptively trying to push any worries from his mind. Now's not the time to start grumbling about what's gone wrong, it's the time to prepare themselves. Biff springs right into action. "Ok, alright, ok everyone. This is bad. I think we can all agree on that."

Hideo, who had previously remained mostly silent, looks to Biff with a wild-eyed irritation. "Wha- why the hell are you so calm?" Biff scowls right back, not expecting such a retaliation, but deciding to let Hideo speak. "What're we doing? W-we need to get in there right now!" He steps back slightly and waves a hand as he speaks to accentuate his point. "Miho's gonna freaking die if we don't do anything." Marquis noticeably flinches as Hideo spits that last line.

Biff suddenly snaps, bitterly lashing out in response to Hideo's panicked state. "Shut the hell up. You think I'm not freakin' pissed off? Because I'm VERY pissed off. That sonofabitch King's takin' prisoners now and I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do. But I'm trying my damn best to not run off into the Dreamlands half-cocked like you suggest, so I say you're the one who needs to calm down, Hidi."

"What're you talking about? You've seen that King in action-he'd torture her to death for fun if the mood struck him. Like that one time he almost tortured us to death when the mood struck him, the only difference being that Miho hasn't awakened to a persona."

"You heard Marquis," Biff juts a thumb backward, still sneering despite his voice being calmed slightly. "She's a hostage. He has more reason to use her as leverage than to kill her. The King might be a sadistic bastard, but he's no idiot. He gave us, what, a day to come after her? We've gotta use that time to make sure we do this right, otherwise, all of us, including Miho, are gonna die horrible deaths. That sound like fun to you, Hidi?"

Hideo's scowl flinches slightly as he thinks over Biff's words. A tense moment passes before he drops the defiant expression with a sigh, exchanging it for a somewhat dejected visage with just a tinge of resolve. "Damnit, you're right… I… I dunno." Hideo clasps his hands behind his neck, looking up at the sky. "I can't sit still while someone's life is in danger and I know I can help. It doesn't matter that it's… Miho…"

Biff grins reassuringly, silently thankful that the tension has dissipated. Though he's feeling particularly riled up after going at it with Hideo, he knows everyone's on edge right now and decides not to harbor any resentment. Biff claps his friend on the shoulder, "We'll get her out, man. We're good at killin' shadows, we just need to approach this the right way."

Marquis steps forward and in between the two boys, pushing Biff's arm off of Hideo as she does so, all while trying to conjure a cheerful smile for Hideo's sake. "Yeah, Hidi, don't worry. Everything's gonna be a-ok as long as we st-" As Hideo looks down from the sky to face Marquis, the two make eye contact and the latter falters in her motivational speech.

Biff's unsure what to make of the silence as the duo's gaze lingers, their mouths slightly agape in a dual expression of what appears to be a combination of awe and silent understanding-like they're having a conversation without saying anything, a sentiment furthered by Hideo nodding resolutely, suggesting Marquis needs not say any more. Quite frankly, it's weird, so Biff decides to call them out. "What the hell are you two doing? Did something happen between you?"

Marquis flinches at Biff's abrasive call, turning around and facing her addressor to reveal that the two of them have spontaneously gone bright red. Hideo responds first, raising both arms defensively as though Biff were attacking him. "N-no, nope, nothing. Just… uh… nothing."

Biff sees straight through Hideo's obvious lie, though says nothing in response, instead opting to squint dubiously at Marquis to try and pry an answer out of her. Marquis does no such thing, rather going wide-eyed in brief panic before trying to play it cool. "Ah! Ah, uh… aha… No idea what you're talking about haha." She slings an arm around Hideo and claps him on the back, all while trying to laugh dismissively, a motion which ends up looking very unnatural and even more awkward. "Just two buddies being buddies. That's what us buddies do, right Hidi?"

Hideo squirms out of Marquis' grasp and hastily attempts to change the subject. "Shut up, let me go! Ugh… um… wait, Biff. I'll admit, you were right that we shouldn't have freaked out and rushed into the Dreamlands right away, but why don't we just go now? I mean, is going to class really worth leaving Miho in there longer than we need to?"

Biff elects to quit pressing Hideo and Marquis for an answer. He drops the suspicious glare right away and switches right back to a casual conversational tone. "You'd think so, but you're wrong."

"Oh."

"We've got enough eyes on us already. Our sneakin' around got Miho following us, and if we start ditchin' class then that could screw us over even more. If we're gonna be Dreamlands assassins, we've got to pretend to be normal students. Also, I was thinkin', we'll want to be as prepared as possible-both mentally and physically-if we're gonna do this, so takin' the day to calm down and think it all over'll probably do us good. All of us're pretty high strung as is." Biff gives a pointed glance to Marquis considering she opened the school day by sprinting through the halls screaming. "If we have a full day to get to Miho, I think we ought to use it. And another thing: I wanted to pick up our… uh… 'tools' from Abe beforehand-make sure we're armed to the teeth."

Marquis juts her chest forward proudly and points a thumb back to herself. "Actually, Hideo and I took care of that yesterday. We dropped your shiny toys off in the Dreamlands safe and sound."

Biff glowers at Marquis and scrunches his brow. "You… wait, you two went to the Dreamlands? So something DID happen?"

Marquis' cocky smile freezes as she realizes she just screwed herself over. "Ah-aha… I ah… I refuse to answer any questions."

Changing the subject once more, Hideo interjects with a grumble, all while flashing a sad sort of grin. "Mmm, don't know how I'm supposed to relax with Miho's life being in danger over my head."

Biff's eyes narrow resolutely, his voice lowering unconsciously as he turns the subject serious once more. "Well, you'll have to."

"Geez Biff, you just keep shutting me down today."

"I'm serious, Hideo. I know you guys know already, but this is our last chance. It's life or death for real this time, and it's not gonna be easy." Hideo and Marquis are briefly surprised by the change in tone, though they quickly recover, both nodding with matching resolve. "I don't know what sorta shit the King's gonna throw at us, but we've gotta take it all-we're the only ones who can. It sounds like I'm bein' a real drama queen here, but more than just saving Miho, all of Mata's at stake. Maybe even the world. I dunno exactly how powerful the King's supposed to be, but what I do know is that if we lose, lots of people are gonna get hurt. So that means we can't lose, no matter what. I know it's a lot to ask from you, especially considering we met, what, less than a week ago? But we all need to be willing to fight to the end if we're going in, and more importantly, we need to be able to trust that all of us will see this through. If you're not willing to go that far… well… I'd recommend you take today to decide that."

Biff can't help but notice Hideo's hand compulsively clench into a fist as the weight of the world quickly weighs down on everyone's heart. Biff turns to Marquis, the two of them exchanging a look as he tries to get a read on her mindset. Beyond her normal, mildly scatterbrained grin, Biff can pick up on a strong vigor burning deep within-the fire of her heart just waiting to be released once more.

No more words are necessary, and the three members of MIFAS all turn and silently head to class. Throughout the entirety of the day, Biff notices Hideo and Marquis acting particularly fidgety, anxiety no doubt causing a sort of stir-craziness. During lunchtime, the group is mostly quiet, though about halfway through, Hideo asks Marquis to step out in the hall with him. Biff decides to say nothing considering it's clear what they're talking about.

"Hey, Marquis," Hideo mutters, pulling the door of class 2F closed. He sounds particularly drained of energy, his characteristic liveliness nowhere to be found.

"Hey, Hidi!" Marquis chirps. Trying to lighten the mood, she places her hands on her hips and attempts to flash a gentle smile, though it ends up coming across as more sad than anything.

Hideo doesn't immediately say anything else. He briefly looks Marquis up and down before staring dead-set into her eyes. After a moment, he speaks up. "You're not running, are you. From… everything going on. I can see it."

The sadness from her smile quickly dissipates after Hideo's comment. "No way. It's tempting, but I can't. I'm not gonna run anymore. Nosiree. And neither are you."

"Huh?"

"I can see it too, Hidi. In your eyes, man. It's a dead giveaway." She falters for a moment, searching for the right words. "It's depressing to have to save the world, huh?"

Hideo chuckles at her straightforward yet apt statement. "Heh, yeah. When I was a kid, I always wanted to, like, be a superhero, ya know? Like every other kid, I thought it would be nothing but fun to fight evil, but now that I actually have these powers, it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's just stressful. Oh, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't pretty fun, don't get me wrong."

Marquis sighs softly, twirling a twintail in her fingers. "Must be nice."

"To be a superhero? Uh… you're one too."

Marquis suddenly perks up, snapping out of a distracted focus. "Huh? Oh! Sorry, I meant being a kid. I just showed up out of nowhere one day all like 'Hey, I'm Marquis.' Ooh, but back on subject. Point is, after our little trip into the Dreamlands yesterday, I like to think I've got a bit of a read on you, Hidi. You can't hide anything from me, and that means I already know you want to fight. And fight you shall, Hidi-boy."

Ignoring that weird final comment, Hideo nods firmly. "I was never planning on running, even if I'm only fighting for, like, my honor or redemption or something. I dunno, my motivations are all a jumble in my head and it's tough to make sense of everything. The reason I called you out here was to try and see where you stood considering you've got the least reason to protect this world of us all."

Marquis gasps with faux-shock. "Hideo! I'm um… what's the word? Appalled? Yes. I am appalled that you would doubt my fighting spirit."

Hideo suddenly looks very worried, stumbling backward over his words. "N-no, wait- I... that's not what I meant. Uh…"

"Oh, I know, I'm just messing with you." She smiles as cutely as possible to quiet Hideo's worry. "But that's where you're wrong Hidi, I've got as much of a reason to protect this world as anyone else."

"You do?"

"Yup! This is where you and Biff live, and you guys are pretty much all I have in the world. After I got my sweet Persona, I promised Biff I'd protect you two, and I don't plan on breaking that promise anytime soon." Marquis grips the lapel of her uniform jacket as she speaks, the passion of her words clearly resonating. "I know it might not mean much coming from me, who's most likely a dime-a-dozen worthless shadow, but I'm more than willing to put my life on the line, just as long as I keep you two safe."

Hideo is instantly touched by her words, though the bliss of having someone genuinely care in such a manner is offset by Marquis' self-depiction as being a worthless throwaway life. Despite the fact that she said it in such a cheery manner, he knows that she's completely serious in what she says, no matter how nonchalantly it's phrased. It would appear that despite his and Biff's best efforts, Marquis' feeling of worthlessness has restrained her from grasping the fact that he and Biff care for her. Even if it didn't work quite well enough in the past, Hideo's still going to do his best to convey how he feels. "Aw, don't say that, Marquis. I've seen plenty of shadows, and out of all of them you are the least worthless by a large margin."

Marquis laughs gently at Hideo's attempt at a half-joke, her eyes dropping to the floor. "Gee, thanks, Hidi."

"No, but really, Marquis. Hypothetically speaking, if you're a shadow, there's still, like, no difference between you and a person as far as I can tell. And to be honest, you're less worthless than most people by a large margin, too. How many times are Biff and I gonna have to say we like you a lot? You gotta stop with the depreciation, it's not a good look on you." Hideo reaches down and flicks Marquis on the nose as he teases, prompting her to snap her view up and swat at his hand while laughing genuinely, a bit more heart in it this time.

"Agh, ahaha, stoppit Hidi, I'm being serious." Her giggling quickly melds into a silent contentedness, the corners of her lips still turned up. "But... thanks." Her eyes cast away once more. "I swear I'm not acting like that for attention, I just... I really, really, really don't want to be a shadow. And thinking about being a shadow just makes me more and more sad." She quickly sighs. "But no matter how much I don't want to be a shadow, I don't want to run from my problems even more, so I'm gonna face my hopelessness head on. I wish fighting my hopelessness didn't make me feel so crappy."

Hideo sighs, placing his hand on Marquis' shoulder comfortingly. He relates to that last statement more than he cares to admit. "Me too, man. But I think it's healthy. No matter how much it hurts, we can't run, because the alternative is losing to the darkness in our hearts that made us so miserable, and I never want to go back."

The two look at each other for another moment before they simultaneously grin. "We can't run," echoes Marquis. "We're gonna face it. All of us. Together, right?"

"Righ-"

Suddenly, Biff pulls the classroom door open, interrupting the heart-to-heart. "Lunch time's over, chumps." Upon noticing the odd scene of Hideo towering above the comparatively petite Marquis as they resolutely stare at each other once more, Biff purses his lips. "What the hell? You two better stop having these silent-communication, weird-ass stare-offs, it's freakin' weird." That said, he withdraws back into the class.

Hideo immediately follows, at once attempting to combat Biff's brusque statement under claims that it's 'completely normal considering we're about to fight to the death.' Marquis waits a moment more before entering, taking the time to reflect on Hideo's words. She knows he and Biff care for her, but why can't she feel it? Instead of reflecting on this as well, she decides not to think of it for the time being. "Agh, no. Marquis does not want to examine psyche." She says to herself, for some reason now speaking in third person. "Marquis already has enough problems to deal with." Now free of immediate personality-based doubt, she jogs into the class after Biff and Hideo. "Wait for me! Now, I'm sorry to say it, Hidi, but Biff's right. It is freakin' weird."

"WHAT?! Why're you siding with him?!"

"Because he's right."

"Told you, Hideo."

The rest of the school day is similarly quiet, even beyond the MIFAS members' solemn attitudes. An air of awkwardness never left the rest of the students in absence of Miho. It almost felt like the room was a table missing its centerpiece-oddly baren in an unsettling way. After class is over, Biff, Hideo, and Marquis make their way to the hallway facing out to the practice building and wait until there are no prying eyes before they make their move. Hideo and Marquis kill time by having a light discussion of cool (as Hideo put it,) 'Persona moves' that they ought to be using, a conversation Biff occasionally throws his two cents into.

For the most part, though, Biff remains silent, still thinking over the situation. He never doubted his own willingness to fight, that wasn't even in question, but the issue lingering in his mind currently is what exactly they'll be facing. With Miho as a hostage, the King has all the leverage imaginable. It wouldn't be very surprising if he decided to demand that a member of MIFAS or two sacrifice themselves in exchange for Miho, though the King would most likely still kill her for fun anyways. Biff sighs as he turns this thought over. It's already tough to risk your life in a fight with such high stakes, even more so when you don't know what you're up against, but to willingly lay down your life… Biff stands, scouring the empty hall for any other students. No matter what lies ahead, he'll find out soon enough-and that's a bridge that'll be crossed when it comes.

"Alright everyone," He says firmly, turning to Hideo and Marquis. "We've all had our time to think it over. This is your last chance: are you in or are you out."

The two-who had previously been sitting on the ground-both stand at once. Hideo extends a hand to Biff and smiles confidently. Though anxieties clearly linger in his mannerisms, his spunky attitude reveals his resolve. "Of course! I mean, we're the only ones who can do this, after all, so let's give it everything we've got."

Biff clasps Hideo's hand, giving it a classic 'bro' handshake. "Sweet. Glad I can count on ya, Hidi." He drops his friend's hand, now turning to their other partner, looking for an answer out of her. "Marquis?"

Marquis balls her left hand into a fist and swings her right horizontally for dramatic effect. Speaking with that same idiosyncratic passion, she announces her resolve. "Yeah! I'm not gonna run away anymore, I promise! Never ever! Let's do this, Biff! Let's go! Persona time!" Getting excited, she plunges both fists into the air and shouts. "PERSONA!"

Biff hastily places a finger in front of pursed lips and hushes her, looking around the hall. "SHHH, shut up, will you? We're goin' low profile."

"Oh… eheh… sorry." Marquis slouches slightly in shame.

"But still, that's everyone. I already know I can count on you two, which means I also know we can kick some major King ass if we give it our all. Considerin' we don't really know what we're up against, I don't have any sort of strategy or anything, so stay on your toes while we're in there. Above all else, stick together. We're a team, after all."

Marquis extends her arm and gives Biff a thumbs up. "I promised I'd protect you two. I'm not leaving your side."

"Eheh," Hideo chuckles with a smirk. "It's go time. One for all and all for one, am I right?"

"Exactly," Biff states, as though it were an undeniable fact. "Brace yourself, Shadow King. We're goin' all out."

Miho Fuiji slowly returns to consciousness, her senses frayed and her vision blurred. Despite her clouded cognition, the first thing she notices immediately is her cheek pressed against a cold stone floor. As she places a hand against the floor to try and push herself up, she notices that the movement feels slow and cumbersome, almost groggy, like how the body reacts after waking up in the morning. _Was I sleeping…?_ The stone underneath her fingers feels gritty and unpolished-rough to the touch. _What… where…? Where am I…?_ Her vision is still blurry, though it gradually clears up more and more, the stone floor before her becoming sharper and more easily visible.

As her senses turn more refined, Miho tries to move in an attempt to figure out where exactly she is. Something feels very wrong, though the memory of how she got to where she is is oddly blank. She pulls her legs up and under her to try and stand, but before she can complete the motion her right leg is met with resistance, stopping it instantaneously as something cold and hard clasps the ankle.

She groggily turns to face what holds her back, noticing first the fact that a comically large chain holds her leg in a steely grip. An instinctual panic immediately sets in upon noticing the fact that she's chained down, prompting her to hastily try and yank her leg again, finding no such success as a loud clanking noise echoes throughout the room she's in.

The second thing she notices as her senses refine further is where exactly the chain leads. A long line of metal links stretches for about five meters before running into the floor and ending, binding her to the bottom step of a grey stone staircase. At the top of roughly five oversized steps lies a gaudy throne comprised of glistening gold plating and luxurious red silk. Resting atop this exorbitant seat sits a massive humanoid figure wreathed in a combination of shadows and gleaming gold, silently waiting as it comfortably reclines, all while giving off a terribly menacing aura.

Miho squints to get a better look at what she assumes to be her captor. Fear continues creeping its way through her heart, though she does her best to ignore it-there's no way she can succumb to terror without knowing exactly what's going on. Despite the view around her becoming crisper as her eyes focus, the giant being doesn't much change-its sickly golden hue still appears to be resting in shadow, its face impossible to make out. _No…_ she thinks, peering closer. _It's not covered in a shadow… it IS shadow…?_ It's clear now: the figure, stretching at least two and a half meters tall, is entirely made of a black shifting substance. Well, the parts that aren't covered by an ostentatious golden robe and crown, at least.

Recognizing this figure, the memories of the past few hours all at once rush back into Miho's mind. Entering the practice building, falling into that purple portal thing, ending up in a strange world full of yellow-eyed villagers who shared the faces of Makisini students, getting found by some weird knights all comprised of the same black substance, and finally being captured by this kingly figure. And Marquis was there, too. But that's all she remembers. _Was I knocked out…? Wait, does this mean I'm still in that world?_

The King before her still remains silent, opting to only stare down with yellow human-like eyes. He squints as though he were smiling sadistically (his mouth is difficult to make out in contrast with his pitch-black features) before turning and facing somewhere behind Miho. "Bring out the princess!" He calls in a terribly deep, booming voice overlaid with a dark, unsettling distortion that rattles Miho's brain painfully.

At once, a piercing creaking noise echoes through the room, drawing Miho to turn from her captor and in the direction he faced. Scanning her eyes around, the chamber she lies chained in is remarkably large and comprised entirely of grey stone, roughly thirty meters across and circular, adorned for the most part in tapestries, gold decorations, and silken banners. An expensive looking, wide red carpet bisects the center, connecting the King's throne to a colossal set of wooden doors at the opposite end. Flanking both sides of the carpet, though spaced a fair distance away from it, are a series of thick pillars.

As it begins to open slightly, Miho can tell now that the creaking came from the massive double door, the two sides spreading apart at the King's beckon. Once it's open enough for a group to walk through, a cluster of figures appears on the other side, entering as soon as they can and swiftly walking on the red carpet towards the throne and thusly Miho. The door creaks shut on its own as the group enters, its piercing cry tearing through the chamber once more. She remains silent as this happens, understanding that as she's unarmed and chained down, waiting to see what happens is clearly the best option. Oddly enough, despite the creeping fear, an inexplicable excitement underlies her inherent terror.

Eventually, the group of humanoid figures is only several meters away from her, revealing themselves to be more of those shadowy knights she ran into before being captured. They stand silently for a moment before parting to create space between their ranks, silver armor cluttering with the slight movement.

"Wha-" Miho can't help but mutter upon seeing what lied within the escort of guards. A pale foot stretches forward, clad in a translucent pink high-heel. The figure, presumably that which the King called a 'princess,' is… Miho?

Standing before Miho is her own face and her own body. Like some sort of clone, it looks exactly like her in every way save its garish outfit. The other Miho wears a magnificent fluttery pink dress, which despite being light and translucent, is still sufficiently opaque due to it being made of many thin layers that shimmer and shift as its wearer moves. Atop her head lies a silver tiara inlaid with several pink gems, undoubtedly expensive beyond Miho's wildest dreams. This ostentatious outfit is a sharp contrast to Miho's actual attire-fairly normal school clothes.

Besides the clothing, though, the figure before her appears to be the same in every way. Actually, upon closer inspection, Miho can see that this other Miho is inhumanly pale. Not pale in a complexion context, but rather as though she had been outside in the winter for an extended period of time and were on the verge of frostbite. As a matter of fact, this princess Miho's skin is almost blue.

Upon revealing the princess they were escorting, the knights melt into a viscous black sludge that quickly dissipates. The other Miho allows a stunned silence to linger for several minutes before finally speaking up, drawing the real Miho's undivided attention. "I am a Shadow, a reflection of your true, inner self. You've gotten cold, Miho."

After battling their way through the second floor of the King's castle, the members of MIFAS stand solemnly before a colossal pair of doors that stretch high above them all. This entryway fit for giants remains tightly shut, as though it hasn't been opened for centuries.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is the place." Marquis quips, her mouth agape at the sheer scale of the barrier.

"Thanks, Marquis. Real helpful," Biff retorts sarcastically. He places both hands against the leftmost door and futilely pushes with all his might, making no progress whatsoever.

"It must be at least forty meters, huh?" Hideo states, watching Biff's effort with hands on his hips.

"And that's at least forty meters that aren't gonna budge." Biff concedes, stepping back.

"Well, then how're we gonna get in?"

Biff shakes his hands to the side to warm up before pushing his rightmost sleeve up. "We're takin' the hard way, that's how." He raises his left arm, Persona shield fastened to the other sleeve and humming in response to Biff's preparation. "Everyone step back."

Hideo and Marquis instantly comply as Biff braces himself. He takes a half step forward for momentum before pumping his fist and calling to his other self. "Sic em', Cthulhu!" The sound of shattering glass rings out before fire pours out of Biff's shield like it were water pent up within. A whirlwind catches the flames, focusing them in front of Biff and materializing into the Persona Cthulhu. Biff points to the oversized door with his left hand extended. "Kill rush!" Heeding its master's orders, Cthulhu rears a beefy fist back before unleashing what would typically be a lethal punch by slamming the hardwood door. Punch after punch continues, all with terrifying might as Cthulhu keeps up an unrestrained assault. Biff starts to feel his own knuckles get a little tender, but he ignores it-if he can't handle a few hits from a door, there's no way he'll be able to take on the King. Eventually, under the Persona's lethal strength, the door begins to splinter slightly. Cthulhu keeps the punches up until a hole has been formed large enough to get Hideo and Marquis through.

"Geez, Biff," Hideo whistles. "I knew your Persona was strong but I didn't know it was THAT strong. I've decided to revoke my, uh, my challenge for our Personas to fight. I don't want to die." He pushes his brand new scythe through the hole first before following suit. The blade of the custom weapon is steely grey and wickedly curved, all resting atop a black metal staff with hand-hold grips so as to allow better dexterity. After all, it would be awkward to be in the middle of a fight and have his weapon slip out of his hands-Biff would undoubtedly make fun of him relentlessly.

"Hidi!" Marquis calls, following in suit through the hole. "Did you see when it did that one punch. That was so cool!"

Hideo sighs. "Yes. I saw when it punched the door."

Once his friends are through, Biff climbs in as well, a scowl already on his face. "Cut it out, you two. We're here for one reason and one reason only, now where is sh-"

But Biff's question is answered before it can be asked, cut short by a voice crying out across from the wide circular room they've just entered. "What's that supposed to mean? Why are you… you…."

"That voice," Hideo mutters, perking up and scanning his surroundings. His eyes align with two figures, one standing and the other collapsed, engaging with each other before a massive golden throne. "Miho!" He calls, and takes off sprinting.

"Damnit, Hideo!' Biff shouts, not expecting his partner to rush off so hastily. Knowing there's no time to lose, though, he follows, racing across the room as quickly as possible.

Marquis hesitates for a moment, the prospect of facing Miho again being awkwardly unfavorable after their last encounter. Regardless of this brief pause, Marquis shakes her head, drawing a pair of knives as she sprints after Hideo and Biff. "Well, too bad, me. I'm gonna save Fuiji anyways. I'M COMING, FUIJI."

Hideo leads the makeshift dash across the room, cold determination ignited deep in his chest as he nears the two figures. Soon enough, all three members of MIFAS have arrived only meters away from Miho, recognizing her as the one collapsed on the ground, but being unfamiliar with the dress-clad figure whose back is turned to them.

Biff shifts his gaze up to the extravagant throne, immediately slinging a caustic scowl upon seeing who sits atop it. "You…" He sneers, all of the violent intent present in his singular utterance.

The Shadow King offers no response besides a cocky smirk. He rests his elbow on the right arm of the throne as though bored of a show he's watching, but besides that, does nothing but gaze upon the members of MIFAS with contempt. While it's not like him to remain silent in such a position, it's clear to Biff that the King intends Miho to be the main show here, a fact made clearer by the King pointing towards their fallen classmate and drawing Biff's attention away from the throne, though he keeps an eye on the King in case of any funny business.

Upon Biff making his and his friends' presence known (as if punching his way through a door wasn't enough), the dress wearing person turns to regard them, revealing itself to be none other than another Miho.

"Uwah!" Marquis immediately cries. "Her eyes…" While partly saying this to bring attention to the fact that the regally adorned Miho has piercing golden eyes, it was also said to herself as she recognized the cold, bitter glare that the shadow wears as the same one Miho held back on the school rooftop.

"Ugh," Shadow Miho groans, glancing between the three new combatants. "Long time no see, Marquis." Marquis flinches upon hearing the snide comment, a reaction the Shadow responds to with a sadistic smirk. "Of course a merry band of morons such as yourselves would have no sense of tact. Can't you common folk leave me alone? I'm _trying_ to have a conversation."

"Hideo…? " Miho mumbles upon seeing his familiar face first. Biff and his little group was honestly the last thing she expected to show up, much less fully armed to the teeth after blowing a hole in the door somehow.

"A… Shadow?!" Hideo incredulously exclaims, glancing immediately to the real Miho to try and gauge her response. "Biff…"

Biff grimaces and grabs Hideo-who stands in front of him-by the shoulder and turns him towards himself and Marquis. "We don't have time to waste. Her shadow's standin' between us and her and I dunno how it'd react to us trying to pull her out."  
Marquis pipes up. "Probably not good."

"Good to know. Then the hell are we supposed to do?"

Hideo speaks up, his typical carefree attitude completely replaced by grave seriousness. "We leave her be." His words are resolute, as though they are undeniable facts.

"What?" Biff responds, startled by the change in demeanor.

"If her Shadow's here right now, as far as I can tell… that means everything's not all good. One way or another… she's hopeless, and that's something I wish I could say I couldn't relate to. Biff… you never actually faced down your shadow, so don't take this the wrong way, but it's tough to understand what it's like to see your utter hopelessness made manifest and be given the choice to either take it all head-on or continue running away. It hurts, but there's really only one option that keeps you from being miserable, and if we pull her away from it… well… Marquis'll agree with me here: she needs to fight her hopelessness, or at least be given the choice. We can help her in the fight, and we can be here for her, but there's no way in hell I'm stopping her from doing it."

Biff glances at Marquis to gauge her reaction. She stares intently at Hideo, mouth agape with what appears to be admiration, but also with a clear reflection of the emotions he feels so passionately about. After a moment, she furrows her brow and hardens her expression before turning to Biff and nodding. Biff finally speaks solemnly, heeding his friends' resolve. "Alright… ok... But that may mean we're up against her Shadow AND the King. This could get messy quick if we aren't on our toes."

"We can do it," Hideo states, his words being conveyed as fact once more. "I believe in us. And if we can't just get her out of here, we don't have much choice, anyway."

Biff and Marquis both nod once more. Resolution met, the group then turns to Miho's shadow to hear what it has to say. Upon MIFAS entering a quick team huddle, though, Shadow Miho decided to turn back to her its counterpart, a small yet terribly cruel smirk upturning the corners of its lips.

Before her shadow can begin its inevitable monologue, Miho speaks up, an impatient hostility in her voice. "Can SOMEbody tell me what's going on? Anyone? Why- how-?"

Her shadow raises a gloved hand, cutting Miho off mid-sentence. "Oh, don't worry about them. You've never needed to rely on the opinion of peasants, anyway." The shadow's voice has lowered to a dainty near-whisper despite the biting, mocking intonation. As it speaks, its breath can be seen as though it were exhaling in a below freezing environment. "Hmhm… but they still love you anyways-their beloved princess."

"Huh?" Miho looks up at the being wearing her face, its golden eyes meeting her own and cutting straight through her as if it could read into her soul effortlessly. "The peasants…?" The only peasants she can think of are those in this weird, castle-village place-the ones that looked identical to real students in Makisini High.

"Why, your friends, of course. Well… maybe not 'friends', so to speak. What's the term you like to use…? Ah, yes, 'groupies.' I'm talking about those boors who've placed you on such a pedestal." Her shadow giggles gently, placing a hand over its mouth as it does so.

"Hnh-" Miho makes a surprised choking noise after the shadow uses the word 'groupies' in context of her friend circle. Sure, she'd used that term mentally to refer to them, considering that's practically what they are, but how does this thing with her face know that…? Miho grimaces, furrowing her brow at the regal mirror image. She attempts to compose herself, refusing to show any weakness so as to not give the Shadow any sort of fearful reaction it may be striving for. In a cold, emotionless voice, she responds, attempting to pry some information out. "What are you supposed to be? Who… who do you think you are to say these things to me?"

Her shadow immediately cackles wickedly, spreading its elegant arms wide. "Oh, Miho. You can use the emotional distance to keep yourself from anyone else, but please, spare me… I'm you, after all…"

"The… emotional distance…" Miho immediately goes bright red at the shadow's accusations. "I… no…"

Her Shadow ceases its laughing fit, restraining its giant grin to an insulting smirk. "I don't judge, don't worry, _your highness_. Hee hee… I know how tough it is… how lonely it is at the top." It places a gloved hand over its heart and closes its eyes. "A princess' life is a hard one-you can never expect much of the peasants. That's why you have to take on all the student council responsibilities. Well, that's what you tell yourself, at least, right? That you're not interested in the same things as others, so there's no way they could truly relate to you, leaving the poor Miho Fuiji with no choice but to put on the charming, kind, perfect class president act." Immediately spinning around, the shadow clasps its hands and faces Hideo, giving a surprisingly accurate imitation of Miho's day-to-day gentle voice, albeit a somewhat disturbing one considering the distorted tone typical of shadows. "Hey, Hideo. I just wanted to check in and see how your first day went. All good? Well, I couldn't get any information from you, so get out of my sight."

From her fallen position, Miho places both hands flat on the ground and casts her eyes away from everyone else. The Shadow's words ring rapidly through her brain, and while she's still not sure at all what's going on, the assertion that her personality is an act strikes a bad chord-a chord she that hurts her heart and shames her deeply. She tries to resolve meaning from the contrast between what the Shadows said and what she wants to believe, _It's… it's not that it's an act… it's just…_ but no good excuse comes to mind.

Hideo's heart leaps into his throat, leaving him at a loss for words or actions. Responding in his place, Biff takes a step between Hideo and the shadow in an attempt to dissuade it from interacting with them.

Shadow Miho snickers again and slowly turns back to its real counterpart, still speaking in that same gentle voice despite its menacing words. "But I know the truth: It's actually because you utterly, truly, _despicably_ hate other people."

"What?!" Miho scoffs, the sensation of the Shadow's words striking hard against her heart increasing exponentially. "That's…" She begins to deny the claim, but her eyes catch on Biff, Hideo, and Marquis just standing there, watching her silently. They look down with what seems to be… pity, an expression which suddenly makes her conscience of what they must be thinking of the other Miho's words. Are they judging her with their steely gazes? Unlike her, they aren't bound by steel chains, yet they watch her suffer. Do they think this is funny? Is this their revenge for her confronting Marquis? Who do they think they are? Miho quits responding to her Shadow, instead lashing out at her peers. "What're you looking at?" She hisses, an extremely uncharacteristic bitterness in her voice as she yanks her leg to try and break free of the binding. "I… quit looking at me! Stop it! Just… just leave me alone! Why won't you get away from me?!"

Hideo and Marquis both flinch and cast their eyes down, though they don't take any other action in response to Miho's aggression. The former is the only one to speak up. "I'm… sorry, Miho. Stay strong." Hideo's heart feels like it's tearing apart with guilt as he just stands and watches her, but he knows it's what needs to happen.

Miho continues straining against the chain to no avail, and is about to lash out at the trio once more when the Shadow's gentle snickering catches her attention. Shadow Miho extends a hand, pointing down at its real counterpart. "Hmhmhm… they're irritating, aren't they? People and their problems, how they never leave you alone, how they place themselves around you at any given moment. Isn't it just infuriating to put up with? All of the peasants thinking you care about them. But all this time you've kept it hidden away simply by keeping up your illusion of kindness and excusing yourself when the stress got to be too much. No one expected the beautiful, gentle Miho Fuiji to be so detached, so they grew to love the face you put on. Don't worry, they would never like the true, icy you, anyways. No one would respect you if you didn't sit upon the pedestal they've placed you on. The peasants are so closed-minded."

Miho grits her teeth and looks back to the ground, quitting her attempt at straining against the chains. It's all so frustrating that it makes her want to cry-the humiliation of being bound and degraded, how utterly weak she feels, the horrible garbage this thing with her face relentlessly spews. There's no way any of it is true, right? Miho tries her best to be as good of a Student Council President as possible, there's nothing wrong with that. This thing's just… it's twisting her actions, that's all… it's all lies, that's all there is to it. Miho doesn't hate people, she just… gets stressed out occasionally.

The shadow continues its brutal commentary, still speaking in an airy, gentle voice albeit with a twinge of mockery, clearly impersonating Miho's normal tone in an attempt to infuriate her. "But that begs the question: if you hate other people so passionately, then why would you even try and act otherwise? Why care what they think?" Shadow Miho looks down expectantly, looking for an explanation. Miho only looks up from the ground to see her own face cruelly gazing back at her. At a loss for words as she struggles with internal conflict, rapidly attempting to rationalize the shadow's words, Miho shakes compulsively, trying her best to keep from releasing any of the frustrated tears that even now threaten to spill out. Not finding any answer, the shadow continues. "Well, if you don't know, that's no issue, because I do… it's because you'd feel worthless, otherwise. You put up with your groupies and burden yourself with Student Council work because the alternative is being useless and truly alone, and that's a fate that you can't even comprehend. To avoid feeling miserable, the strong, perfect Miho Fuiji surrounds herself with hollow bonds and tedious work, making herself miserable all the while. Heehee… a princess' life is truly a terrible one. You're hopeless, Miho. You're alone and you're tired of this ceaseless routine that leads to nothing but misery. You push people away at any opportunity you get, and you've been left with no one to truly care for you. Hee hee… hopeless."

Hideo turns to Biff in an attempt to continue averting his eyes from the trembling Miho. "Biff… I… I don't know what to say to her. I want to do something… but I don't know what."

"This is her fight, Hidi. We can give her words of encouragement or something, but that's about all we can do." Biff states firmly, still tensely awaiting Miho's decision to battle her hopelessness. "Most importantly stay on your toes." This whole time, the King's just been waiting silently upon his throne, watching them with blatant contempt plastered across his face, mostly readable through his intense yellow eyes.

It's too much for Miho to take. If these are twisted lies being spewed meaninglessly… then why do they hurt her heart so badly? She can't take it anymore, her frustration and pain only rapidly increasing, tearing her apart inside. Warm tears begin to spill over her cheeks despite her best effort not to, and while she'd rather hide her face from the onlookers, she can't take the shadow's words anymore. Anything to stop them-she has to say something. Miho slowly raises her face to the gaudy princess before her. "No… no, you… you don't know anything. You're twisting it all up and I-" She trails off, not sure exactly where she's going.

"I don't know anything?" The shadow muses, giggling with a gloved hand over its mouth once more. "Well, that's just plain wrong, Miho. I know everything about you, and that's because I AM you. Heehee…" It clearly takes great pleasure in Miho's suffering as it continues prodding at her psyche.

"Uh, guys," Marquis speaks up in a hushed tone, a disconcerting thought coming to mind. "I dunno how well this is going… and… wait… why is her shadow not in that big mirror thing like ours?"

Biff scowls upon hearing the observation; he hadn't even thought of that. "Well, you're the Dreamlands expert here. Shouldn't you know?"

Marquis pauses for a moment. "Maybe."

"That really didn't help."

Hideo interrupts the exchange, deciding to take action. "Alright, Biff, I wish we knew more about Miho so we could better encourage her to fight, but it doesn't matter. We need to say something."

Biff turns from Marquis and faces Hideo, nodding resolutely before regarding Miho once more. "Fuiji!" He calls, "Fuiji, I know you barely know me, but you've got to fight. Stand up and resist it." He grimaces and turns his eyes away, whispering to Hideo. "Damnit, we just need to inspire her to fight it, then we can take over, what can we say?"

Hideo shouts as well, saying the same thing he said to both Marquis and his own shadow. "Don't let it define you. You're more than what it says you are, Miho!"

 _No…_

No is the only word ringing in Miho's mind. She's barely aware of Biff and Hideo's words after the shadow's claim of being her sent her senses reeling. An acute headache all at once comes on, painful in the exact same way as the ones she gets after being in social situations too long. Miho grips her head with one hand, the other balancing herself against the ground.

 _No…_

This thing with her face… it claims to be her… no, that has to be a lie. A clear lie, like everything else. But the lies are so painful... she has to stop them-has to get out.

 _No…_

It claims it's her.

 _No…_

Miho can't take it. The pain, the frustration, the biting words spit forth from this mocking reflection that wears her face. No more.

Looking back up at the shadow, Miho barely pays attention to the tears rolling down her cheeks. A hand covers half her face as she clutches her aching head, her one exposed eye making contact with the counterpart's yellow ones. A single forced laugh comes out before Miho speaks, her voice sounding shaky and fearful more than bitter or composed like it had been this whole time.

"Hah… No… no, you're not me. You're... full of nothing but lies… You're not me…"

A hushed silence falls over the chamber as Miho denies her own shadow. The silence is near immediately broken by Marquis making a startled scoffing noise. "Oh no oh no oh no. Biff. Biff this is bad."

"Huh?" Biff mutters as he and Hideo turn to Marquis, now put on guard more than before. When Miho denied her shadow, Biff was frankly concerned over what they were supposed to do if she wouldn't fight her hopelessness, but now it looks like something's going on. "What is it?"

"Ok um… ah…" Marquis struggles with words, gesticulating rapidly with her hands as anxiety begins to set in. "So um… when I first told you about shadows I mentioned something, didn't think it was a big thing, but uh… I said 'Shadows are made stronger by denial' or something like that."

Hideo nods, "Yeah I rememb- OH! Oh no."

Biff says nothing, his expression swiftly hardening as he realizes what Marquis is getting at

Marquis continues, meeting Hideo's eyes. "I was just kinda throwing it out there and stuff, but looks like it's important. Pay attention, boys, this is relevant info now. Don't know why I know all this stuff, so don't ask, but shadows don't like being denied and they get really pissed off. So when people refuse to fight their hopelessness or even accept it, it gets worse. The shadow gets stronger and goes crazy."

Biff purses his lips as he tightens his grip on the club dangling in his right hand. "And you didn't think to tell us this sooner?"

"I didn't know it would be important! And I also, kinda, just forgot."

From behind Biff, Hideo turns back to Miho and her shadow. "So that means…"

Biff turns as well, finishing Hideo's sentence. "This is gonna be big."

Marquis decides she wants to contribute, but everything that needs to be said has already been said, so she just cries the first thing that comes to mind. "Yes!"

Biff sighs.

In response to Miho's denial, the shadow takes a step backward as though stumbling. While it had previously been maintaining a regal, contemptuous posture, it trembles and spreads its arms wide, cackling maniacally. "AHAHAHA! Oh, Miho. For such a smart girl you're quite an idiot! You couldn't be more wrong-I'm more you than you'll ever be!" And with that, a dark fog-similar to that within the mirror-like wall that had appeared before Biff, Hideo, and Marquis-materializes around the shadow, though its laughter can still be heard.

Marquis speaks up, "And did I mention it still tries to kill its owner?"

"Damnit, DAMNIT," Biff cries. "Everyone, on guard. Get ready for a fight."

As the shadow becomes obscured from view, the King's booming voice rings through the chamber, immediately drawing everyone except Miho's attention. "I knew she was weak. Well, weaker than you three, at least." He stands from his elevated throne, towering high above anyone else. "She's part of the reason I exist, which means I can see straight through her heart. I knew that her pride and weakness would never allow her to truly stand against hopelessness, so I thought, 'why not use her to kill you all?'" He bursts into laughter upon detailing his simple yet sadistic plan, his booming chortles echoing around the massive room. Suddenly he stops, his inhumanly large grin being replaced instantly with a terribly cruel sneer. "And I mean it-all of you will die here. And as the life drains out of you, you'll know you failed to protect the world you hold so dear." He pauses for a moment, shifting his gaze from MIFAS to Miho, his expression now contemplative. "It's an odd position to be killing one of those who created me; she's almost like a mother, in a way. Oh well, I suppose it doesn't matter." The King scrunches his head and body in as though preparing to fall into a fetal position. "I hope you all know I've been anticipating this since the moment we first met." In one quick motion, the Shadow King spreads his arms out and raises his head, suddenly exploding into a viscous goo like that which all Shadows come from. The sludge flows out of where the King once stood like a fountain, completely obscuring the throne as it cascades over the sides and down the stairs of the structure on which he presented himself. Despite Miho only being meters away from the staircase, the sludge begins creeping in her direction as more and more filters downward. She doesn't seem to notice or care, though.

As both the King and Shadow Miho transform, the three members of MIFAS stand ready. Biff swings his brand new club up and catches the barrel in his offhand. As he stares up at the fountain of sludge where the King once stood, he feels a similar sensation of pent-up energy as when his Persona first awakened. Due to the establishment of several new bonds, he guesses that it's time to awaken to some new powers. Hideo grips his scythe with both hands, shifting his stance slightly with anticipation, the premise of two enemies at the same time being more than terrifying, though he's determined to beat them no matter what. Marquis holds a knife in both hands as she looks at her two friends. Despite the dire circumstances, she can't help but grin. Armed with the power of their hearts, she's fully confident that they can take on any number of enemies. Plus, fighting a big bad guy with her Persona sounds fun.

Biff shouts up at the King, not sure if he can be heard in his enemy's current state. "Oh, trust me, asshole. So have we."

Simultaneously, the fog around Shadow Miho dissipates and the ludicrous amount of sludge that somehow came from the King ceases flowing and rises up to create a material form, any remnant goo quickly dissipating.

Shadow Miho's true form appears as a roughly four meter tall, slender giant with a close-to humanoid form. Wearing no clothes, its body is covered in taut, whitish-blue skin that exudes an aura of frost. Oversized hands spread out into elongated fingers that end with razor sharp claws, seemingly capable of flaying flesh like it were paper. Its face, on the other hand, is heart-stoppingly terrifying to look at. With deep-set, glowing red eyes and a massive mouth full of rows of razor-sharp teeth, the immediate urge upon seeing such a predatory form would commonly be to run.

The King's form is as starkly different as one could imagine. Having revealed what he truly looks like, a massive, grey, protean mass stands in his place, quivering as it spills slightly over the edges of the structure that held his throne. Numerous human mouths and eyes all dot the pile of amorphic flesh, moving rapidly as though they were functioning despite making no noise besides a sickly slurping sound as the King's form trembles. Finally, from several places that the flood of sludge reached, giant grey tentacles have sprouted, reaching up about six meters towards the roof as they waver slightly.

All members of MIFAS are simultaneously struck with a flash of terror upon seeing what will now be their enemies. This first reaction is quickly replaced by cold determination radiating from all three of them, driving themselves and each other to refuse the urge to flee. Biff points his club to the quivering form that was once the King, his other hand unconsciously balled into a fist. "You two take care of Miho. Kick her shadow's ass and try and get her to fight her hopelessness. I'll take on this ugly bastard myself until you can join the fight."

Marquis places a concerned hand on Biff's arm, "Biff…" She mutters.

Hideo shakes his head as he raps his scythe's staff on the ground. "He's got this, Marquis. He's the strongest of us, after all. Let's go save Miho, she's the one who needs us.

Marquis looks shocked for a moment before nodding resolutely. "...Yeah. You're right, Hidi. For once." She whispered that last part while stepping alongside him. Hideo's only response was a disappointed sigh.

Biff raises his left hand over his head, feeling his Persona shield begin to vibrate slightly as he resolved to call upon that other self. "Everyone ready?" The other members of MIFAS both nod affirmatively. "This is our only chance. I'm holdin' nothin' back! PERSONA!"


	9. Moment of Truth

May Fifteenth, 2012

A small crowd begins to form around the young Biff Chanum, the burly brute before him, and the fallen figure to his side. It's a dreadfully hot day on the early edge of summer, and the blacktop underfoot does no favors as it radiates its absorbed warmth.

Biff's fourth-grade class is currently out on recess-what is typically every elementary schooler's favorite time of day. While Biff usually manages to enjoy his breaks from the grueling day-to-day of a fourth grader, this recess in particular took a turn for the worse as soon as notorious class bully Joe Henderson found the need to harass Biff and his friend Eric. It's nothing out of the ordinary considering the fact that Biff's penchant to antagonize rather than forgive often leads to butting heads with anyone that seeks to heckle him, but today Joe took it a step further than usual.

Joe Henderson's defining features are without a doubt his flat face and excess flab in the mid-section. Vaguely resembling a bulldog, he fundamentally defines the image of a generic elementary school bully. Despite his odd features (a fact Biff has not hesitated to call attention to on numerous occasions), his practice of pushing around his less well-endowed peers has gathered him a following of thugs who either admire his toughness or are fearful of his wrath, a distinction that is ultimately nominal considering all of them obey his every word. Only moments ago, Joe had made a particularly crass comment about Eric's recently deceased mother, driving the poor boy to immediately break down into tears at Biff's side, a response that incited a hearty chorus of laughter from Henderson and his gang.

Biff feels his fist clench and is immediately cognizant of the horrible heat as sweat begins to drip down his brow. "W-why would you say that you dick!" He cries, his vocabulary quite advanced for a boy his age. "You knew his mom was…" Biff glances at his fallen friend and trails off, his sentence ending in a low, bitter growl.

Joe Henderson initial answer is a guttural laugh right in Biff's face, only further infuriating him. "Who cares! It's not my fault she's dead, or that Eric's such a baby!"

Biff bares his teeth in frustration, looking around as more and more students become aware of the conflict and wander over, forming a rudimentary circle around everyone involved. "Shut the hell up, mutt. You just think it's funny to hurt people."

The stocky bully's laughter immediately ceases as Biff relates him to a dog. His face twists into harsh hatred as he retorts with no hesitation. "That's coming from the kid who'll beat anyone up for fun." His lackeys, though reducing their guffaws in accordance with their leader, chuckle at the accusation.

"You-" Biff looks startled for a moment, though quickly recovers, once more plastering frustration and rage across his face. "You know that's not what happened! J-just 'cause your goons can't hold up in a fight..."

"Hmph." Joe dismisses, glancing at one of the boys backing him up whose black eye from a previous bout with Biff still lingers. "You ever wonder why no one likes you? Maybe it has something to do with your girl hair." All of his groupies immediately burst into snickers once more.

Biff's hand instinctively touches his shoulder-length hair. It's a style he saw on TV and convinced his parents to let him try out. "It's not girl hair! I-it's cool!" He protests. Though Joe Henderson may look stupid, he knows exactly how to push people's buttons in all the wrong way, as evidenced by Eric collapsed at Biff's feet.

The bully simply laughs in Biff's face again. "Yeah, whatever you say, girly. Hee Hee… you look pretty pissed."

Biff's had more than enough; if he lets Joe trash talk him and his friends, then it'll never stop-these guys are relentless. He takes a step towards Joe Henderson, his hands curling up into fists once more. "That's 'cause you're makin' me pissed."

"Hee…" The carefree, mocking expression on Joe's face slowly melts away, replaced by a distinct coldness. "And what're you gonna do about it?"

A random kid surrounding Biff and Joe can't help but try and rile up the prospective fighters. "Yeah!" He cries, attempting to get others to join him. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" The rally call is successful, as most of the crowd join in the chant, only serving to draw more classmates to check out what's going on.

Despite being outnumbered seven to one, Biff's made up his mind-there's no way he'll run and letting a scumbag bully like Joe have an easy victory. They're both roughly the same height, and it doesn't matter how much more Biff's opponent weighs as long as he aims for the head-he can take him. But what Biff'll do after he's beaten the leader and is up against six other kids, well, he'll figure that out when it comes. "I'll show you."

One of Joe's groupies begins to step forward, planning on taking advantage of the gang's number advantage to beat Biff senseless. Joe immediately stops him with an arm, pushing his lackey away and turning his head from the looming Biff. "No, I don't need your help. I can fight on m-"

Biff doesn't afford Henderson a chance to finish his sentence. No one who's willing to intentionally hurt others for a sick laugh deserves anything but a swift knockout. An honorable brawl is reserved for those who at least have some semblance of honor.

Never afraid of throwing the first punch, Biff sees Joe's distracted state and immediately takes action, tightly clenching his fist and winding up for a killer haymaker.

"Biff has proven to be… a very violent child," Mrs. Hassenhower states with much deliberation, folding her hands on her hardwood desk as she awaits a response from Mrs. Chanum. Hassenhower-the principal of Biff's elementary school-is a wickedly strict looking woman whose weathered, aging features are only accentuated by a thin face and a long, hooked nose.

Biff's mother sighs, fixing a lock of dark hair that found its way to her forehead. "Robert and I, we… we're so sorry that Biff…" She sighs again, failing to find an applicable excuse. "We don't know what it is…" While Mrs. Chanum's words sound repentant, they're largely devoid of any emotion. After this same scenario has already played out several times, it feels almost futile to try and beg for forgiveness.

Biff shifts in the stiff wooden chair lying directly across from Mrs. Hassenhower and to the side of his mother. The principal's office is a terrifyingly bland little closet of a room, decorated with no essence of personality and painted a painful beige that would typically make Biff more than uncomfortable if he weren't already used to it. Plus, with his mom here, he's got slightly bigger worries.

Mrs. Hassenhower's expression remains neutral as she continues the address. To her, this sort of interaction with parents is nothing more than routine-something that must be done to maintain the order of her school. "This is the third time this year that Biff has gotten into a fight with another student. Last year it was twice, and despite the fact that he isn't assaulting his peers unprovoked, this sort of behavior can not be tolerated-you know that." Mrs. Chanum simply nods in response, shifting her gaze to the side to pierce through the bored-looking Biff. "This is a place of education, not a fight club. Considering Biff more than likely broke that boy's nose before a teacher could intervene, I have no choice but to suspend him for the next week. He needs to be an example that we will not allow students to brawl it out on the playground. If this behavior continues, we may need to… discuss the issue further. It is not safe to allow this continued violence to be around the developing minds of our youths."

Mrs. Chanum goes wide-eyed and briefly considers trying to protest. No, there's no use, it's pointless to try and debate the policy-that's an argument that would take her nowhere. She releases the breath she had been subconsciously holding as she mentally accepts her lot. "And are the Henderson's taking any action for their son's injury?"

"No," Mrs. Hassenhower quickly responds, clearly having anticipated this question. "They understand their son's… penchant for trouble as well, and aren't pressing any charges. On our end, though, we do not plan on punishing Joe Henderson, as he was the victim here."

Biff makes a choking noise and instantly stands up and out of his seat, his head only slightly reaching above Mrs. Hassenhower's towering desk. He grits his teeth balling up a fist as he spits an instinctive retort. "What? Th-that's BS, you can't do that! He was insulting Eric's mom!"

"Biff!" Cries Mrs. Chanum at her son's profanity. She instantly goes bright red from embarrassment as she grabs Biff's shoulder and pushes him back into the seat.

Mrs. Hassenhower fully ignores the outburst, only glancing at Biff before back to his mom. "While Biff's grades are fine, his interactions with other students leave much to be desired. As I said, he's not assaulting random peers on a whim, but the problem is that his first solution to any issue seems to involve his fists. I'd recommend looking into one of several youth anger-management courses. They've helped students with his same problems before. But I believe that's all I need to say-Biff will be welcome back on campus next Tuesday."

"Thank you." Mrs. Chanum says in conclusion, gathering her purse and preparing to leave. "Really, again, we're so sorry. Do you have anything you'd like to say, Biff?"

Biff silently fumes in the seat, all at once getting pissed off at the fact that his mother has to apologize after Joe Henderson was the one being an asshole-not to mention that he's getting off scot-free. And furthermore, she's being forced to say thank you? Biff jumps out of the tall wooden seat and begins heading for the exit. "No," Is his simple response.

"Biff! Hey, Biff, get back here!" His mother calls as he leaves. But it's too late, Biff's already gone.

The car ride home is quiet for the most part, the silence of Biff's mother making him all the more uncomfortable. Eventually, she speaks, tones of disappointment and desperation lingering in her voice, though anger, unexpectedly, is omitted. "I don't know what to do with you, Biff. Why…? What are we doing wrong?"

Biff offers no response-he doesn't know what to say. All he did was what he thought was right to protect his friend, but is that wrong? If it's hurting his mom then does that make it wrong?

"Why do you have to fight, Biff? You're embarrassing our family and yourself and… I don't know, Biff. Why? What are you thinking?"

"I told you in the principal's office: he was making fun of Eric's dead mom! I couldn't let him walk all over us!"

From the front seat, Biff's mother grits her teeth as she tries to keep from getting emotional. It's a tough situation for a mother to be inin-knowing that Biff has his head in the right place and wants to fight for what he believes in, but somehow having to keep him from solving all of these problems with his fists. Every time they've had this same conversation it's resulted in a repeat of the issue-what is there to do? Will Biff's violence get worse? "Biff… It's not always about fighting. You can't… you can't just hit people who wrong you, that's not what's right. Sometimes... you just have to be the better man. Does that make sense? Sometimes you have to show everyone how tough you are without using your fists."

The meaning of his mother's kind words are mostly lost on Biff-facing his problems head-on always seems to be the logical solution. "But… but I didn't want to be the better man! I wanted to fight!"

The sound of shattering glass fills the throne room as soon as Biff raises his shield over his head. In a swirl of flame, the Persona Cthulhu materializes before the three members of MIFAS. Cast in the chamber's dim lighting, Cthulhu's dark green skin appears to be all the more sickly. "Here it comes!" Biff taunts in warning, addressing the disgusting mound of quaking grey flesh that once called itself the King of this castle.

While the amorphous blob's eyes and mouths scattered about its form move randomly and offer no sense of recognition, Biff can eerily sense the atrocious, almost otherworldly, hatred radiating like an aura, and that's all the indication he needs to start the fight. "Sic 'em, Cthulhu," Wasting no time, he immediately breaks into a barreling sprint towards his enemy. At its master's beckon, Cthulhu makes a noise somewhere in between a roar and a seething hiss, its muscles bending and bulging as it frenzies in anticipation of a fight. The bat-like wings stretching out of its back pump firmly against the air, propelling it forward for a quick boost.

As he spontaneously sprints straight past the terrifying transformed version of Miho's Shadow, Biff glances behind himself to Hideo and Marquis. In seeing his friends stand resolutely, fearlessly facing down such a terrible enemy, Biff can't help but feel what could best be described as an odd sense of pride. On another note, Shadow Miho surprisingly paid little attention to Biff running past it, only glancing at him before turning towards Hideo and Marquis-as though they were its only true targets. Whatever's up with that, Biff doesn't much care as long as it keeps that scrawny sack of bones and claws off his ass.

It's only a matter of seconds before Biff stands directly before the stone stair structure that leads up to the King's ostentatious throne-only now they barely offer enough room for the protean mass to rest upon. It's finally time for Biff to do battle with the monstrous Shadow bastard that had ominously threatened the real world like storm clouds about to roll in from the horizon at any moment. He's lectured his friends about it over and over, but defeat is truly not an option here. Biff mentally affirms his resolve once more, pushing back any creeping fear or doubt that may cloud his mind-now isn't the time to worry.

The dull gray form's two tentacles-roughly six meters tall and sprouting from the ground next to the staircase-ominously sashay as they stretch towards the roof, as though they're taunting Biff, waiting for the perfect moment to crush him under their fleshy mass. Despite being within the range of Biff, though, the broad appendages don't lash out. It would appear the King is waiting for Biff to take action. Luckily for him, Biff has never been afraid of making that first move.

Biff takes a firm step forward, sending his hulking Persona lunging toward the staircase. Instantly responding with remarkable speed for its size, the leftmost tentacle slams down towards Cthulhu as soon as it places a step atop the first stair. Biff affirms his footing to brace himself, having Cthulhu take the hit by raising its arms in order to catch its attacker.

Now, most Personas are already significantly taller than the average human; Biff, Hideo and Marquis's humanoid Personas all stand at roughly three meters, though with variations in their builds. If it were anyone else's Persona trying to stop the full weight of an attacker roughly twice its already oversized size, they'd be crushed instantly. But this isn't anyone else's Persona. Demonstrating its unbelievable strength, Cthulhu catches the tentacle just above its octopus-shaped head, causing the strain of doing so to transfer partly back to Biff.

"Heh…" Biff grins cockily despite feeling sweat bead up on his brow and his shoulders tensing greatly from pushing his power to its limit. There was always the chance of Cthulhu being instantaneously and thoroughly crushed if Biff had grossly overestimated its strength, but he's feeling particularly confident today. "Cthulhu's no lightweight." Even though he puts on a tough show, he knows there's no way he can keep up such a fight for long; he's only having his Persona hold off one tentacle and it's taking everything he's got to do so. Within striking distance is another colossal tentacle, and Biff still has absolutely no idea what the part of the King covered in eyes and mouths can do. Probably nothing good.

 _Damnit…_ Biff grimaces internally, trying his hardest not to let any strain show on his face. He'd have Cthulhu throw the tentacle off of itself if he could muster the strength to do so, but it would appear that's just a little bit out of his range. _I only need to hold him off… just until Hidi and Marquis finish up with Miho_.

"We don't have time to mess around, Marquis. Biff needs us, like, ideally ASAP." Hideo's eyes narrow dubiously as he faces down the grotesque form of Miho's Shadow.

The slender giant stands at roughly two and a half times Hideo's height, towering high above the puny humans below. Hideo can't help but feel an odd mixture of primal fear and discomfort as he stares at the unsettling combination of its taut, pale skin, frosty aura, horrific, deep-set, glowing red eyes, and its razor-sharp teeth and claws. As Biff takes his opportunity to run past it, the Shadow surprisingly pays him no mind, instead merely glancing at him before slowly turning and facing Hideo and Marquis, its hate-filled eyes radiating an uncomfortable sense of malice as it slowly begins striding towards them.

Marquis hunches down slightly, ready to react to any sort of surprise attack that the Shadow could be planning. How it plans to launch a surprise attack while standing at five meters tall directly in front of her she's not exactly sure about, but better safe than sorry, right? "What does ay-sap mean?"

Hideo furrows his brow and he'd give Marquis a dirty look if he didn't have his most horrifying enemy as of yet slowly approaching him, thus occupying most of his visual attention. "I… it means As Soon As Possible. We need to kill this thing, ok? That's what I was trying to get at."

"Good idea."

"Anyways," Hideo sighs, his eyes settling on Miho who still lies collapsed and bound on the ground, her Shadow standing between her and the members of MIFAS. "First step: Save Miho. This is our one chance, which means we can't lose."

"I hope you brought your A-game, Hidi. Otherwise, I might show you up in front of Miho," Marquis says antagonistically with a soft giggle.

"Wha-? Wh-what's that supposed to mean? I…" Hideo goes slightly red but immediately shakes his head, trying his best to put aside the fluster. "Seriously, Marquis we have to get serious." Suddenly mustering all of the serious seriousness in his body, Hideo's sneers at their opponent and unconsciously twitches his left hand in anticipation. "Bring out your Persona."

"Geez, Hidi. You got scary. Serious time; let's go!"

Both of them raise their arms in sync and call out to their other selves.

"It's go time! Cyäegha!"

"Look at this one! Atlach-Nacha!"

Hideo and Marquis' Persona materialize at the same time, both levitating slightly above their summoners. Cyäegha's multi-colored coat and Atlach-Nacha's robes rustle and wave as the Personas gently bob up and down mid-air as they await some sort of order.

Maneuvering into a brisk sidestep, Hideo begins to pace around the right flank of Shadow Miho, intending to move in a half circle around it. "Marquis!" He curtly barks. "You go around the left. When it attacks one of us, the other can follow up. Keep moving until we get to Miho!"

Marquis nods affirmatively and begins strafing to the left side of the Shadow in accordance with Hideo's plan. "Be careful, Hidi! It's attacking you first!" She calls, causing Hideo to tense up, pulling Cyäegha in front of him into a defensive position.

Despite Hideo bracing for an attack, nothing much happens. He and Marquis stand on opposite ends of their foe, both keeping several meters away from the Shadow. Another moment passes before Hideo peeks out from the side of his Persona. "What'd you mean it's attacking me? It's not... doing anything besides standing there." Shadow Miho silently observes the two members of MIFAS, its head on a slow pivot as its ghastly red eyes analyze the enemies around it.

From the opposite end of the giant Shadow, Hideo hears Marquis' slightly gruff voice respond with a giggle. "It was just a guess-I mean, if I was a Shadow I know I'd attack you first."

Hideo briefly considers retorting by bringing up the fact that Marquis is-in fact-most likely a Shadow, yet he decides that'd probably be in poor taste. Despite Hideo's best efforts, it looks like this is as serious Marquis is going to get-so much for the cool climactic battle image he was trying to cultivate. "What's that even supposed to mean?" Marquis offers no response. "Whatever. Still, it's not doing anything. It's just standing there… menacingly."

Marquis glances over at Biff's fight with the King, catching a view of Cthulhu catching a massive tentacle before driving several punches into its side and stepping out from under it. She sidesteps slightly to make eye contact with Hideo, her face scrunched up in a combination of perplexion and apprehension. "Biff's over there doing cool stuff and all we're doing is looking at ugly over here. I think we ought to, like, shoot it or something."

"That could be exactly what it wants," Hideo responds in a flat tone, keeping his eyes on the enemy. "We still don't know what it-"

Suddenly interrupting Hideo with a vehement, bitter hiss, the Shadow speaks, its voice sounding vaguely like a pipe leaking steam. "I am thou." Hideo and Marquis both immediately shut up, fully on guard. "Ithaqua: wendigo god of the cold. I have no need for any of you..." Moving with agility far beyond what one would expect from looking at its spindly frame, the giant named Ithaqua fluidly raises its arms before driving its bony palms into the stone floor. A frosty blue glow appears to roll down its arms and into the ground, filling the earth in a wide circle with the same energy.

Hideo immediately steps back, grimacing with distressed surprise as he calls to Marquis. "Get ready! It's… uh... doing something!" Though it's a meager defense, Cyäegha crosses its arms and stands before its master, ready to take whatever hit is about to come.

"Oh, thank you, Hidiot. Didn't see that. C'mere, Atlach," Marquis beckons, bringing her Persona forward as well.

Another tense moment passes before the energy ignites, instantly turning from a frosty-misty blue to radiant sapphire. In the exact same moment, the stone floor makes a sickening crack noise as an explosion of ice bursts in all directions. In the center of the circle, directly around Ithaqua, bulky ice spikes rise from the ground, while on the edges near Hideo and Marquis, razor-sharp shards scatter in all directions.

Numerous fragments instantly pierce both Personas, sending stinging, stabbing pain back to their masters as the overwhelming attack causes them to de-summon into a quickly dissipating blue energy.

Marquis lets out a sharp cry yet stays standing, involuntarily stumbling before she catches herself. Despite there being no actual wounds due to her Persona taking the hit, it feels as though little daggers have been stuck in all over her body. Marquis' legs shake under her slight frame as it takes everything she has to remain standing. "Hng… Nice try, buddy..." She grumbles before her thoughts immediately go to Hideo. "...Hidi… HIDI!" She calls, her view of him currently obscured by the low wall of giant spikes that the Shadow summoned.

Hideo didn't take the hit quite as well. As his Persona was run through with countless frigid edges, he felt an odd numbing sensation of overwhelming cold before he tumbled hard, slamming directly into the ground. Immediately filling the void as the numbness began to subside was the intense dagger-like pain transmitted from Cyäegha. "Ugh… what… is this…" He groans, his senses reeling after taking such a hard hit. As Hideo recovers, he begins to hear Marquis calling his name. "Huh… Marquis?"

"HIDI?!"

"Marquis! What…" Hideo tries to push himself up-but he can't. The biting cold has inexplicably sapped all his strength, leaving him immobilized; and while the sensation is slowly fading, there's no way he can bring himself to stand just yet. "Wh-what the hell is this? I can't move… it… why can't I move!?"

Marquis can't quite see Hideo behind the spikes, yet his claim that he can't move is admittedly a bit concerning. She cups her hands over her mouth and calls back. "Well yeah, you're a fire-type, what'd you think was gonna happen?"

"What… the hell is that even supposed to mean?" Hideo growls, trying to force his body to move by rocking himself back and forth. It doesn't do much of anything besides make him look like a fool-hopefully, Miho isn't watching.

Marquis rolls her eyes at Hideo despite being unable to see him. "Fire-type Shadows-and I guess Personas-are weak to ice. Oh, and vice-versa."

"How was I supposed to know that?!" Hideo cries. "And why didn't you mention this sooner?!"

"I kinda sorta forgot. Sorry, Hidi. If it's any consolation, your Persona's probably fireproof."

Ithaqua turns its full attention to Hideo, its uncharacteristically large mouth creeping into a twisted smile that conveys a dark intelligence deep within. Somehow, its lips barely move from the giant grin as it hisses another pessimistic response. "Why won't any of you learn your place and leave me alone? No one wants you here…" With a large striding motion, it steps down forcefully on the small ice barrier around itself, shattering the thick spikes as it approaches Hideo's fallen form.

Anxiety all at once begins to creep upon Marquis as Ithaqua moves to attack Hideo. _Can't panic, can't panic,_ she frantically thinks, immediately acting on her first instinct. "I'm coming, Hideo!" And she begins to take off towards her fallen friend, silently praying that she can make it before Ithaqua.

Hideo's heart sinks as Miho's Shadow approaches him, a horrifyingly intelligent smirk revealing the razor-sharp teeth lining its maw. "No…" He mumbles, semi-directed towards Marquis as his thoughts get caught up in worst-case scenarios. Speaking slightly louder now, Hideo properly calls out to Marquis. "No… stand your ground, I… hng… just need a moment. Attack while it's distracted; this is your chance."

"Hideo…" She begins, thinking of some way to protest. Sprinting over and pulling Hideo up is her natural course of action, but he's right. Even if she could outpace the Shadow's striding step, the two of them would only end up in a defenseless position directly beneath the towering giant. Marquis' brow furrows as she submits to Hideo's plan. Having her Persona rush Ithaqua is, in itself, a pretty scary sounding notion, but it's not like there's an alternative. "Alright… alright, I've got this, Hidi. Just sit back and watch, eheh…"

Marquis closes her eyes and mentally grasps her other self. It's an odd sort of internal barrier involved with Persona summoning, but before anyone can actually bring their Persona out through their shield, they have to affirm their willingness to fight-in the manner of a promise to themselves. Her eyes snap open, sharply glaring at Ithaqua's turned, and thus exposed, back. The familiar sensation of pent-up energy wells from within as Marquis raises her arm and calls out. "Let's do it again! PERSONA!"

Atlach-Nacha manifests in front of Marquis, blue energy slowly coalescing into the tranquil robed woman. The Persona's bladed legs twitch eagerly as it anticipates stabbing something, a desire which Marquis is more than happy to fulfill. Marquis gives an excited little hop and fist-pump, the sight of her Persona riling her up despite the dire circumstances. "Go, go, go! Get 'em!"

Heeding the will of its master, Atlach-Nacha suddenly leaps up into the air, pouncing in a grand arch towards Miho's Shadow. Ithaqua doesn't even notice the incoming attack before Marquis' Persona lands on its upper back and pierces its taut skin with all four knived legs, firmly attaching itself via bayonet. A deep, skin-crawling roar bellows from the Shadow as it cringes in pain, stopping dead in its tracks and buying the immobilized Hideo precious seconds. Taking advantage of its elevated position, Atlach-Nacha immediately digs deeper, twisting its blades and causing black sludge to well up like an oily blood.

Ithaqua recovers from the attack a mere moment after its anguished cry. Moving with blinding speed, the Shadow's spindly arms instantaneously snap up and over its bony shoulders in an attempt to grasp Atlach-Nacha. Demonstrating even greater dexterity than Ithaqua, though, Marquis simply has her Persona shift its weight downward, avoiding the grip and consequently tearing through more of the Shadow's flesh as the knives rip down. Hoping to try and stall so as to buy Hideo more precious time, Marquis focuses on the Shadow's movements, intent on simply avoiding any more attempts at a grab rather than taking the offensive. She tensely waits for Ithaqua's next move, yet for whatever reason, the Shadow's form shows no signs of moving, instead remaining rigidly still like an eerily disproportionate statue.

It is now that Marquis becomes acutely aware of the blue energy gathering around the Shadow's hands which still stretch over its shoulders and point directly at Marquis' Persona. She only has a moment to utter, "Huh?" before the attack is released.

Numerous spikes of steely ice blast from Ithaqua's hands, instantaneously piercing through Marquis' Persona like a series of oversized bullets. Atlach-Nacha doesn't even have a chance to de-summon before taking the full brunt of the assault, thus transmitting a beyond painful portion of the hit back to its master.

Marquis instantly collapses with an anguished cry, reeling in injured distress as-barring an actual physical injury-the sensation of such intense damage rocks her body. With its master's lapse in focus, Atlach-Nacha is reduced to a quickly dissipating blue energy.

Now clear of the pest on its back, Ithaqua snaps its head back to Marquis, sneering demonically at the sight of the now vulnerable girl. Seemingly disregarding Hideo, its course changes and it begins lumbering menacingly towards Marquis, claws stretched out with clearly wicked intent. Its feet kick through the circular barrier of ice once again, seamlessly crushing the spikes nearest Marquis as it advances.

Thanks to Marquis' helpful-yet short-lived-distraction, the all-consuming numbness that plagued Hideo has near-completely faded. Hideo rolls over and grabs his fallen scythe before utilizing it as a cane of sorts to lean against as he clambers to his feet. His limbs feel stiff and weak after the icy attack, but he's able to properly stand, and it's only a matter of time before he'll be completely back to normal.

Immediately after standing, Hideo catches the sight of Miho's Shadow blasting Atlach-Nacha off its back with a salvo of spikes, followed by Marquis crying out and, while he can't see her over the wall of ice summoned by Ithaqua, he hears the sound of her collapsing.

"Damnit, Marquis. Use your head," Hideo grumbles to no one in particular as he quickly thinks over his next move. The pressure of having to route such a titanic enemy weighs on him as he figures out what to do-they can't just keep attacking the Shadow in turns, they'll sustain too much damage that way and eventually fall for good. And that's not to mention the fact that Miho's still a sitting duck-though she does lie a safe enough distance from the fight to remain unharmed from the initial attack. As Hideo remains wrapped up running through the situation in his head, the solution comes to him when recalling how he had been instantly incapacitated by the Shadow hitting him with a volley of ice. Marquis had mentioned something about weaknesses…

With no time to waste, Hideo springs into action. His fist plunges straight up to reveal the wooden shield strapped to his forearm. "PERSONA!" A gale of wind and a burst of flame follows suit, materializing into the eyeball monster that looks like it's trying to impersonate a person-Cyäegha.

Hideo's shield arm levels horizontally as he assumes a dramatic pointing pose. "Burn 'em black, Cyäegha!" The Persona floats only barely above its master, and heeding Hideo's order, it closes its giant eye and begins exuding a glowing red sheen from the space between its eyelids. After a short charge, Cyäegha's eye snaps open, releasing a crimson burst of crackling energy with a loud, albeit stereotypical-sounding "PEW" noise. The laser beam collides with Ithaqua's exposed back, instantly searing its pale flesh and quite literally "burning 'em black" as Hideo wished.

Hideo's pointing hand curls into a fist which he casts to the side, directing his Persona to attack. Over the several second timespan which Cyäegha releases the internal storage of infernal energy, Hideo has his Persona rake its beam diagonally along Ithaqua's back, leaving a smoking trail of charcoal-colored skin in its wake. The attack can only be held up for a brief moment before Cyäegha is completely drained, and a small pang of fatigue crosses Hideo's body as though reminding him that his Persona's laser storages are out of juice as the beam sputters to a stop like an empty faucet. Attack finished, Cyäegha dissipates with its laser, reverting back into the blue energy from which it came.

Ithaqua remains frozen for a moment, evidently shocked after being attacked once again while it was distracted. For a Shadow whose mannerisms revealed a dark, sadistic intelligence, it foolishly underestimated both Hideo and Marquis' ability to work together in some semblance of a coordinated attack.

Hideo's teeth grit as his free hand re-clasps itself around his scythe. "I'm coming, Marquis!" He shouts, his feet already carrying him in a charge towards both Ithaqua and his fallen ally. "Just.. uh… Hold on!"

Marquis offers no response, still out of Hideo's view due to Ithaqua and the series of giant ice spikes blocking any sightline. Miho's Shadow, on the other hand, hears Hideo's call and begins slowly turning towards him as it breaks out of its stunned trance.

"N-no!" Hideo stutters as the Shadow's menacing profile begins to regard him, its aura and expression somehow conveying even more of a dire hatred than before. He's already approached to a dangerous degree, having entered the circle of ice spikes through the breach Ithaqua had created. "No…" He mutters distractedly, trailing off as he notices how fatigued the Shadow's movements look. His expression of worry instantly vanishing, a cocky smile rises in its place as Hideo continues the approach. "Damn, I didn't know I hit you that hard. Hehe… how about you stay down this time." Drawing his left hand off of his scythe, Hideo positions the staff of his weapon behind his back so as to better hold it with one hand while running, all while mentally preparing the summoning of his Persona. "Cyäegha!" He snarls with a mixture of self-assurance and deadpan gravity. Swinging his shield up and over his head, the sound of shattering glass rings through the room as fire emerges and forms into Cyäegha.

The Persona wastes no time, using its deft agility to close the short gap between itself and Ithaqua. Despite being made to appear small by the Shadow's gargantuan frame, Cyäegha moves to prove that size really doesn't matter. Ithaqua is offered no chance to respond before Cyäegha's poises its dual swords for an attack and unleashes a swift combo of hacks, slashes, and stabs all in a matter of a few seconds. This chained damage, combined with the previous laser beam, is too much for Ithaqua to handle at once, sending it falling into a heap with an enraged roar.

Hideo barely regards the effectiveness of his attack as Cyäegha de-summons once more; Ithaqua hasn't even hit the ground by the time Hideo passes through the hole on the other side of the ice spike barrier and reaches Marquis.

"Marquis…" Hideo mumbles, standing above her crumpled form and feeling slightly awkward. He glances over his shoulder towards Ithaqua, and upon making sure that it's not moving, falls to one knee. "Marquis, you dead? Eheh…" His own joke begins to make him feel slightly nervous. Sure, she probably isn't dead, but if she's knocked unconscious or seriously injured, well, that wouldn't really be great news. He begins gently shaking her. "Seriously, Marquis, wake up. Come on."

" Hngh…" Marquis groans, her eyes fluttering open and immediately going wide upon noticing Hideo leaning particularly close over her. "I'm awake, geez." She pushes him to the side and sits up, clutching her stomach where Atlach-Nacha was impaled. "Just… taking a quick break. Combat fatigue, you know how it is. Everyone needs a breather from time to time."

Hideo purses his lips and raises an eyebrow. "Mm, not like you slipped unconscious after your Persona got wrecked."

"Uwah?" Marquis goes slightly red as she stutters over her retort. "W-well you're a fine one to talk, Mr. 'Help me, Marquis, I can't move my legs because I'm stupid.' I'll keep that little remark in mind next time I have to save your life."

"What? Sh-shut up." Hideo immediately stands and offers a hand to Marquis, trying to change the subject. "Come on, we need to get to Miho, like, now, before her shadow wakes up. If we kill it without her… well, we're not killing it without her, that ruins the whole point. We're gonna get her to fight it."

Marquis grabs his hand and pulls herself up. "You sure you won't get paralyzed again? Think you might need a wheelchair?"

Hideo just sighs and struts away without another word, taking a path far around Ithaqua as he approaches the still-fallen Miho. It doesn't seem as though Miho has noticed anything of the fight, or even the fact that Hideo stands before her, and if she has, well, her averted face hasn't made any indication otherwise.

Marquis joins Hideo as well, her playful grin left over from teasing Hideo melting away in an instant when she lays eyes on Miho. The two of them stand silently for a moment, unsure exactly what to say; after all, what _do_ you say in this circumstance? Luckily for them, though, Miho speaks before they get the chance.

"Go away," She spits, teeth gritted and eyes closed as she refuses to look up and meet anyone's gaze.

"Miho…" Marquis mumbles, suddenly feeling extremely anxious and self-conscious. Perhaps it's all in her head, but her last encounter with Miho left a more than uncomfortable impression behind.

"Miho," Hideo picks up, feeling a sudden pang of guilt. While it was his idea to let Miho face her own shadow, he can't help but feel a bit compunctious at the sight of Miho's pained expression. "We're not gonna leave you here, a-"

Interrupting Hideo, Miho's voice deepens, her body still shaking from earlier. "I said go away. I… I don't want you here. I don't want any of you here. Why won't you just leave me alone?"

Guilt strikes Hideo's heart once more, and he glances at Marquis, unsure how to proceed. For a brief moment, Marquis looks like a deer caught in headlights before composing herself and speaking up. "No, no, Miho. I know what you're doing." As she utters this fairly vague introduction, Marquis stoops over sideways and leans her head in order to try and catch a better view of Miho's downturned face.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Miho growls.

"You're pitying yourself." Marquis shakes a finger as though she were scolding a child. "I should know, I'm the best at it."

Miho tenses slightly as Marquis accuses her of self-pity, not at all expecting such a response. "You…" For someone so typically well-spoken, Miho lacks a response.

"But my friend Hidi here helped teach me something really important, so pay attention: Pitying yourself is probably one of the worst things you can do when things get bad. You'll never solve your problems feeling sorry about it, so sometimes you've got to buck up and fight them head-on."

"Marquis…" Hideo mutters.

Miho remains quiet for a few seconds before responding, the same hostility refusing to decline in her voice. "Who do you think you are to lecture me?"

Marquis sticks her hands out and squats down before slowly lowering herself into a sitting position. "Someone who's been in this same exact situation. Hidi, too. And I'm just trying to let you know what I wish I would've known a long time ago."

Hideo opens his mouth to holler at Marquis for sitting down in the middle of a Persona fight but quickly decides to ease off. After furtively glancing at Ithaqua still lying on the ground, its form shuddering, he sits down as well.

"Cthulhu!" Biff calls, rolling to his left while his Persona materializes where he previously stood, absorbing the brunt of the fireball that the King fired at him. Besides the colossal tentacles, Biff had the opportunity to find out the hard way that the disgusting mass of flesh he's up against is able to make use of several magical attacks. He feels a burning sensation all over the front side of his body, but after going through Cthulhu, it's nothing more than uncomfortable. "Nice shot, idiot!" Biff shouts.

With a brief moment between attacks, Biff glances over to his friends to check their progress. "Wha-!" He cries, seeing Ithaqua lying in a mound, and Hideo and Marquis simply sitting down, talking to Miho. "What the hell?"

Miho shifts her head slightly back and glances intently at Marquis from the corner of her eye. Her gaze shifts slightly more to catch a glimpse of Hideo before she averts her view once more. "Aren't you in the middle of something?"

"Huh?" Marquis glances around herself, not understanding what Miho's getting at. "Am I?"

Hideo cups his hand over his mouth and leans closer to Marquis. "The Shadow," He whispers.

"Oh yeah!" Marquis smiles contentedly at nothing in particular. "Nah, we've got time."

"Yeah…" Hideo adds, trailing off as he glances furtively towards Marquis. She's normally a bit scatterbrained and more than a bit cheery, but right now she's acting odder than usual-like carefree to a weird degree. Is she doing this intentionally? He expected her to just squirm and get really awkward when they confronted Miho, but now she's taking the lead in the conversation?

Miho turns back towards Hideo and Marquis, her eyes preemptively narrowed to slits and her lips turned slightly down in a tight sneer. "Very blitheful of you to say, _Marquis_." She scoffs, the emphasis on ' _Marquis_ ' reminiscent of her Shadow's icy mocking tone. "What? Are you trying to 'cool me down?' Act nice so I won't snap and lash out? Is that it? Because I… because I hate everyone?"

Marquis hesitates for a moment, caught off guard by Miho's insight as well as her burst of emotion. "Yeah." She states, plain and simple.

Miho starts to continue but stumbles over her words and trails off. She hadn't expected Marquis to respond so bluntly. "Y-yeah well you… I… damnit." Shame suddenly gripping her heart, Miho averts her gaze again, mumbling a simple denial. "It's not true."

Hideo decides it's about his turn to speak up. "What isn't?"

Without facing him, Miho responds without a trace of the fervor expressed before. "I don't hate everyone, I just... That 'Shadow,' it… it twisted my words…"

Hideo and Marquis share a quick glance as awkward silence sets in. Everything they'd need to convey to each other is immediately understood in the exchange. Miho's opinion of others is the big question, isn't it? But how do they go about addressing it? How do they open her up to accepting-and fighting-the hopelessness in her heart?

"I… don't think it matters whether or not you hate everyone or something like that," Marquis says to break the silence, just throwing out what's on her mind despite being unsure exactly where she's going. "I think what matters is that you were… well, miserable."

Hideo chimes in now, adding a bit more of a concrete explanation to Marquis' speculation. "That's what Shadows are. No matter how you cut it, they manifest from our hidden desire and hopelessness."

"Yeah, what Hidi said. It's, like, a part of your heart, ya know?" Marquis shifts a little and casts her eyes away, lowering her voice. "...Like, the part that we're scared of facing-the part that keeps us from ever being happy if we don't try our best to grow past it."

Miho chuckles with a noise that sounds more like an airy wheeze than anything. "That's awfully symbolic, huh?"

"Well, uh..." Hideo scratches the back of his neck. "Yeah, I mean, it'd be a nice metaphor if it weren't real and also if it didn't try to kill you."

Another silent moment passes before Miho speaks softly, "Why… do you care?"

Marquis purses her lips and cocks her head. "Huh?"

"About... me? I… I've been nothing but terrible to you two. Why would you risk your lives to come save me? Even after you heard my… Shadow… tell you I hated everyone, you started fighting to protect me… why do you even care?"

Marquis glances back to Hideo and the two exchange a slight smile. "Well, that's simple," she says, giving Miho a cheery, nonchalant wave of the hand. "You were in trouble, so we went to save you. It doesn't matter who you are, if we're only ones that can help out, you better bet we'll come to the rescue."

"That's… awfully virtuous," Miho mutters wryly.

"Well, that was why we came here in the first place," Hideo corrects. "But we fought your Shadow because... wait, Marquis already told you, right? We've been in the same position-we've fought our own shadows."

Miho tenses up and turns towards Hideo, exposing her face once more, mouth open slightly in surprise. "You… just like that? You simply fought your shadows?" The idea of both Hideo and Marquis accepting their own Shadows so easily suddenly makes Miho mildly self-conscious, her cheeks turning a slightly rosy red to complement her cherry-blossom colored hair.

Hideo feels awkward having it phrased like that, and he, too, blushes slightly. "W-well not 'that' easily. For both of us, it came after quite a bit of… uh… struggling with those… darker emotions. A-anyways, that's not what I'm trying to get at. What I'm saying is that we know what it's like, and to say it's unpleasant is a bit of an understatement. But we also know that no matter how scary it may be to try and fight back against the dark part of ourselves, it's a helluva lot better than running away, since nothing'll change that way. Until we resolved to fight, we were both miserable in our own sad little ways. No one deserves that, and if we can help anyone overcome their Shadows, we'll do it in a heartbeat." Hideo looks to Marquis for her input, but all she does is shake her head up and down in an exaggerated nod.

Hideo expected some sort of terse response from Miho, but nothing's coming out of her. Surprisingly, she suddenly looks clammed up, her mouth tight-pressed and her lips quivering slightly. Instead of waiting for her to poise herself and establish yet more emotional distance, Hideo continues. "Miho, it… it may not be my place to say this, but... we don't really care if you get pissed off at people easily, or if you don't feel cheery all the time, it… I mean, it's part of who you are, you can't run away from it-your Shadow."

Miho reaches up and dabs her eyes with the collar of her school blazer to try and get rid of the tears that slowly well up. Once reasonably composed, she mutters a response through gritted teeth. "You make it sound like I'm not some contemptible… well, bitch."

"Oh, don't say that!" Marquis chirps peppily, unfazed by Miho's brash attitude. "We're all screwed up in our own special ways; it's nothing to beat yourself up about. You've got to... Uh…" She shakes her fists as she speaks, trying to drive home the point. "...accept who you are, and if part of who you are clings to the past and keeps you miserable, you've got to fight to grow past it." That being said, she slings an arm around Hideo-who sits next to her-and shakes him back and forth to try and get a laugh from anyone. The tension is slowly killing her.

Hideo cracks a subtle grin as he squirms out of Marquis' grip and scoots closer to Miho, ignoring the disappointed grumble from Marquis. "It doesn't matter if you feel hopeless and miserable." Biff's words from before suddenly come to mind, and Hideo can't help but recite them. "After all, it's only human. What matters is what you do now. Every day, every second from here on out."

Miho looks him dead in the eyes, her steely visage melted to a vulnerability that looks oddly foreign on her face. "But… I don't want it to be true. It makes me feel so… hopeless."

"Heh," Hideo chuckles, casting his eyes to the side. "That's the hardest part. It feels like fighting your hopelessness will only make you more hopeless, like every road leads to being miserable. But I can assure you, it gets better. And, hey, both of us've been in your shoes, we'll be here whether you like it or not because that's what'll really get you through it all-people by your side." Hideo pauses for another moment. "I don't know how I know it, but I think that you're a hell of a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, Miho. You're talented in just about every way imaginable, and… well, I think that if anyone can take on their Shadow, it's you. Call it a gut feeling, I guess."

Marquis giggles at Hideo's slightly sappy comment. "Eheh, yeah, Fuiji! You can do it, one hundred percent!"

For once in her life, Miho looks truly touched. Immediately after, though, impulsive doubts flood her mind, undermining her trust in Hideo and Marquis' words. She can't help but expect that they're hiding some ulterior motive, as though they seek some sort of personal gain from aiding her. Suddenly conscious of her reluctance to trust others, Miho dismisses any such thoughts. Whether or not she's had issues with trust in the path, she knows for certain that Hideo and Marquis are speaking from the bottom of their hearts, and are being more genuine with her than anyone else she's ever known. The reason a practical stranger would go to this extent to help her is still more than confusing, but Miho knows that she can have faith in their words.

"Ok," Miho says, eyes narrowed and cast to the side as she runs through her own internal conflict. "I… want to fight. I don't want to be miserable anymore-I… I'm not strong enough." Unused to revealing such vulnerability to others, Miho feels her cheeks redden. "But… I need your help…"

Hideo's goofy smile stretches from cheek to cheek as Miho mutters her will to fight. "I'm glad to hear that. Come on, let's get up. Your Shadow's waiting." Hideo pushes himself onto his feet then stands straight up, stretching briefly before offering Miho both hands in aid.

Miho grabs Hideo's hands and begins to pull herself up from her kneeling position, silently brooding as she stares at her collapsed Shadow. Being distracted for a myriad of reasons, she fails to remember the fact that her leg is currently tightly fastened in a steel clasp chained to the ground, quickly being reminded when she attempts to move her leg.

"Damn…" Miho mutters, snapping her head back as she shakes her leg in a desperate escape bid. "That King probably has the key, and I kind of doubt he'd just hand it over.

"Oh," Hideo says nonchalantly as the chain rattles back and forth. "That's no problem." He takes a step back, leaving Miho on the ground. "Now, I'm warning you: this'll be weird, but hang with me. It's go time! Cyäegha!"

The sound of breaking glass rings out followed by a whoosh of flame as Hideo's Persona begins to form above its master. Miho sits frozen in wide-eyed shock as Hideo summons a monster-which is quite similar to her own Shadow in weirdness level-out of seemingly nowhere. Apparently, in her grief, she failed to pay attention to what exactly was going on in the fight against her Shadow.

Wordlessly, Cyäegha begins charging a laser beam, and after a moment of gathering energy, fires at the chain binding Miho to the ground. With pinpoint accuracy, the crackling beam instantly severs the steel and disperses upon contacting the stone floor, leaving a half-meter-long length still dangling from Miho's ankle.

Hideo glances at the still-smoldering ends of the bisected chain. "You… may want to be careful with that thing still fastened to you," he says as his Persona dematerializes into blue energy.

Miho tentatively touches the steel clasp while eyeing Hideo apprehensively. "That was…"

Hideo offers his hands to Miho again while he attempts to at least somewhat explain himself. "Not a Shadow, don't worry. It's, uh, my Persona. I'll… explain it later, I promise."

Miho accepts his aid and rises, not saying anything else-though her dubious expression doesn't fade. It's been such an eventful, overwhelming day that though she didn't think she could be surprised by anything anymore, Hideo just so happened to prove otherwise. As if reacting to its progenitor rising, Shadow Miho begins to rouse, placing its elongated, clawed fingers flat on the ground to push up.

Marquis sits back further and reaches her hands out at Hideo, clasping them open and closed to try and get him to help her up. Hideo sighs and gives her a hand, which she meets with a pleased cheer. Once on her feet, Marquis grins and turns to Miho. "You're the only one who can beat this baddie, Fuiji. But don't worry, we'll be right by your side with our sweet Personas." Getting herself riled up, Marquis jumps from side to side and punches the air. "It's Shadow ass-kicking time!"

"Right… Personas..." Miho mutters, glancing at Hideo. Electing to change the subject, Miho speaks dryly yet professionally, clearly recognizing the gravity of their situation. "If I'm fighting, I'll need a weapon." She glances at the giant scythe which Hideo is stooping over to pick up off the ground. "Ideally something a bit less… unwieldy than your pick, Hideo."

Hideo frowns and holds out his scythe, examining it. "I think it's cool…"

Giving Hideo no pity, Marquis springs into action, reaching down to her thigh and pulling out a knife from its sheath. "Here you go, Fuiji!" She flips the knife over and deftly catches it by the blade, offering the hilt to Miho. "This one's a personal favorite of mine, so take good care of it."

"Will do," Miho mutters, grabbing the knife and gripping it tightly, unused to the notion of using a knife for combat.

"Would ya like another?" Marquis asks innocently, reaching down to one of the sheathed blades on her belt.

"N-no, I'm good for now, thanks."

"More for me, then." Marquis pulls out two of her own, holding both in a reverse grip with the hilts touching. She begins cutting at the air, warming up her knife-wielding muscles.

Hideo grins as he swings his scythe up onto a shoulder, glancing at Marquis before looking right at Miho. "Everyone ready?"

"Ready!" Marquis cheers.

Miho doesn't say anything at first, looking somewhat distracted. Eventually, though, she speaks up, completely ignoring Hideo's rallying call. "Um… Marquis."

Marquis stops her knife swinging and places her fists on her hips as she turns back to Miho. "What's up, Fuiji?"

"...I uh… know this might not be the time, but… I wanted to apologize for… um, the rooftop... I…"

Interjecting as Miho searches for the right words, Marquis waves a hand nonchalantly. "Forgiven-live and let live… unless we get killed by this Shadow, amiright?"

Hideo furrows his brow and scowls at Marquis. "That's not what you're supposed to say before a fight."

Miho simply laughs gently. In the past, she's found Marquis' eccentricity to be aggravating, but for whatever reason, this time around it's more endearing than anything. "And also, uh, call me Miho."

Marquis gives her an innocent grin, secretly relieved there's no expressed tension lingering between the two of them. "You've got it… uh… Miho. And you can call me Marquis."

"...But I already call you Marquis. Your last name was a fake."

"Oh yeah! I don't have a last name."

Miho chuckles lightly, smiling back with her trademark Miho Fuiji smile, albeit with a twinge of confusion. She turns to Hideo and nods resolutely. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's do this."

"In that case..." Hideo turns around to face Miho's Shadow, attempting to twirl his scythe overhead in order to swing the blade off to his right side-mostly just to show off. Much to his, and everyone else's, chagrin, he stumbles with the trick, nearly losing his grip on the staff. "Ah! A-aheh… uh… l-let's do this, everyone. It's go time!"

"That was almost not pathetic, Hidi." Marquis sighs, stepping up next to him and raising her knives to a combat-ready position, her shield arm in front and ready to summon forth Atlach-Nacha.

The Shadow by the name of Ithaqua has regained its footing by now. As it stands erect and stares directly at the trio, its menacing aura comes crashing over them like a wave, sending shivers simultaneously down everyone's spines. In the same moment, the room chills by several degrees due to an icy fog slowly being exuded from the Shadow's pale skin. "You are… all so… damn… troublesome," It seethes.

"Ooh, eheh…" Marquis mumbles to herself nervously. "I-I've got goosebumps."

Miho pushes her way between her two allies, firmly holding the knife Marquis gave her off to the side as she takes a single step toward her own Shadow before stopping. Her back turned to Hideo and Marquis, she speaks resolutely despite not addressing either one of them in particular. "What's the plan?"

"Marquis and I'll beat 'em down, and when the moment comes, you finish it off," Hideo says as he thrusts his left hand straight into the air. "Let's end this! Cyäegha!" Flame bursting out of the face of his shield, Cyäegha manifests to the side of Hideo.

"Excellent planning, Commander Hideo!" Marquis chirps, extending her left fist straight forward before bringing it up in a vertical ninety-degree angle. She takes a deep breath before calling to the other self. "PERSONA!" With the noise of shattering glass and a rush of flame, Atlach-Nacha appears as well.

Miho languidly glances back and forth between the two Personas before looking at Hideo out of the corner of her eye. "I… don't think I'll ever get used to that..."

Hideo chuckles and scratches the back of his head, suddenly feeling oddly self-conscious. "Trust me, it almost becomes normal." For some reason, showing off his Persona feels awfully personal, even more so considering it's… well... Miho.

"Let's go, Hidi!" Marquis chimes in, drawing back Hideo's focus.

With a nod, Hideo points to Ithaqua and begins strolling forward. Theres are only about ten meters of distance between the members of MIFAS and Miho's Shadow, so Hideo and Marquis approach cautiously. They stand only about a meter apart from each other, both light-footed and ready to dodge.

Ithaqua's eyes glow with an unholy animosity as it glares at the duo, its claws twitching slightly with eager anticipation. The two parties have a short standoff of sorts before the Shadow can't contain itself any longer, moving both impulsively and bitterly.

"I don't need ANY OF YOU!" It hisses, extending its slender arms straight forward, pointing them towards Hideo and Marquis themselves and ignoring their Personas.

"DIVE!" Hideo shouts, rolling to his left as a razor-sharp icicle pierces the stone where he previously stood.

As Ithaqua is able to generate and discharge masses of ice at will, Hideo and Marquis have only a split second to dodge as dozens more of the bullet-velocity icicles batter the ground in machine-gun fashion.

Marquis took Hideo's order to dive a bit too literally perhaps, and she simply flattens herself out on the ground rather than dodging to the side. Conveniently enough, this allows her to avoid Ithaqua's initial round of spikes, as the Shadow aimed for the head. "Protect me, Atlach-Nacha!" She calls, wasting no time with being startled. In order to avoid a follow-up attack while she's prone, Marquis calls her Persona to stand in front of her, directly in the icicles' line of fire while she recovers. Summoning immense speed and precision, Atlach-Nacha's bladed appendages begin striking out at the bullet-like projectiles mid-flight, stabbing into and shattering them before they can make contact with itself or Marquis. In one fluid motion, Marquis jumps to her feet and de-summons her Persona, taking it right out of Ithaqua's line of fire.

"Come back!" With a flick of her left arm, Atlach-Nacha re-materializes next to Marquis.

Hideo recovers from his dodge roll, steadying himself with a hand to avoid tipping over. "Blast him, Cyäegha!" Taking advantage of the fact that Ithaqua took its first shots towards Hideo's body rather than his Persona, Hideo immediately has Cyäegha charge up a laser beam. Before Ithaqua can even adjust its fire trajectory, Cyäegha unleashes its pent-up energy, blasting a crimson streak of crackling heat right into the Shadow's hand.

Ithaqua howls and stumbles back as the blast scorches its hand, adding one more to the list of body parts turned charcoal-black by Cyäegha's attacks. Both streams of ice stop for a moment as it recovers.

"Here's our chance!" Marquis cries, stepping closer to Hideo with her Persona just overhead. "It's weak! Let's finish this!"

"You remember our, uh, 'special attack' we discussed?" Hideo barks, meaning it as more of a combat order than a question. With a nod of his head, Hideo mentally commands his Persona to float up over him and Marquis, right next to Atlach-Nacha.

"Of course I do, Hidiot. Let's do it just as planned!"

The duo put their backs together and strike a doubly dramatic dual pose as they manipulate their Personas in a pre-choreographed movement. Atlach-Nacha floats forward and falls to its knees despite floating in mid-air. Removing its human hands from the sleeves of its robes, Marquis' Persona raises its palms to the sky and focuses its energy above to generate a large disc of shimmering white energy that almost appears to be made of liquid as it rolls and folds over itself in waves. Standing directly behind Atlach-Nacha, Cyäegha closes its oversized eye and begins gathering energy. After a short moment, red light pours out of the edge of the Persona's eyelid, begging to be released.

Still holding up their back-to-back theatrical pose, the two release their dual attack.

"Burn black," Hideo spits resolutely, clenching a fist.

"See ya in Shadow hell!" Marquis chirps with a two-finger salute.

Unleashing the full store of its energy in one concentrated, momentary blast, Cyäegha fires another crackling beam at Ithaqua, except this time using Atlach-Nacha's glowing white disc as a sort of enhancement lens. As the short beam passes through the white energy, it only grows in size and power, carrying Atlach-Nacha's generated power along as it blazes towards Ithaqua.

Despite the laser taking less than a second to travel from Cyäegha's eye to Ithaqua's torso, there almost seems to be a moment of pause before collision where time felt like it stopped. Backs pressed, Hideo and Marquis can feel each tense up in preparation for the impact.

The instant the beam collides with the Shadow, a crackling explosion of intertwining red and white energy envelops Ithaqua, its heat and noise reaching far past Hideo and Marquis, even making Biff jump in surprise despite being across the room.

"Did we… do it…?" Marquis pants, suddenly feeling a shortness of breath, resting a hand on Hideo's shoulder as a slight yet sharp headache begins to poke its way into her brain.

The energy generated by the blast quickly dissipates into the atmosphere, the only smoke left lingering being that wisping off of Ithaqua's charred skin. Miho's Shadow is certainly doing worse for wear; its torso, previously leaking viscous Shadow goo from the wounds Cyäegha tore open with its blades, has been cauterized by the explosion, leaving its midsection and many other large splotches on its body burned completely black. After taking such an explosion head-on, Ithaqua has collapsed into a pile once more.

The Shadow's lanky form convulses to the point of vibrating as it attempts to rise again. "WHY. WON'T. YOU. DIE." It hisses, clearly struggling even to speak.

"Not yet," Hideo grimaces, turning back to Miho. "But we're more than happy to kick it while it's down. This'll be your best chance to finish it off."

While she's not afraid of the terrible monster before her, Miho can't help but feel anxiety creeping into her throat at the notion of facing down her Shadow. She fiddles with the knife her back, nodding silently at Hideo's words.

"Let's go, Marquis." Throwing out a finger in a dramatic pose, Hideo points to the Shadow and commands his Persona for one final attack. "Once more, Cyäegha!" His Persona-floating above both him and Marquis-quickly floats towards Ithaqua, swords at the ready. Hideo breaks into a sprint to try and close the gap in person as well.

Before following suit, Marquis turns halfway to Miho and grins assuredly. "We'll hold him down, just get in there and get stabbin'. You've got this, I believe in you."

Miho meets Marquis' eyes and suddenly feels an intense pang of guilt. "Y-yeah, will do… and uh… thanks." She can't help but cast her eyes away as she responds, a reaction which Marquis fails to pick up on.

Without another word, Marquis nods resolutely and runs off behind Hideo and toward the Shadow, her Persona following suit. "Hideo! Watch this one!"

As Ithaqua begins trying to push itself back up, Hideo retaliates with a close-range blast from his Persona. "STAY DOWN!" He cries, Cyäegha's beam raking once more across Ithaqua's back.

Miho can't help but hesitate, watching for a moment longer as Hideo and Marquis unleash their, as they called it, 'Personas' upon the horrendous monster born from her own mind. Simply staring at the Shadow and recalling where it came from sends a wave of unfathomable dread over her body.

 _That's… me…_

The fervor which Hideo and Marquis worked so hard to arouse draws Miho from her pause. More specifically, Hideo's words come back at the moment, pushing Miho to slowly begin approaching her Shadow.

 _Nothing'll change if we don't fight... 'We'…_

She glances between Hideo and Marquis as they both eagerly assault her Shadow's fallen form with their Personas. Only a few minutes ago, the way they were interacting with each other was as though they'd been friends for years. That's what had always confused Miho about their little group, but after having them give their all to protect her, and, in their own way, get her to fight her Shadow, she kinda gets it now-gets how much they care about each other, and for whatever reason, Miho herself.

The walk over to her Shadow feels like it takes much longer than it really does as a steady dread creeps its way into her heart. As much as she feels like fleeing as fast as possible, as much as she fears the idea of facing her own darkness head-on-or even consciously acknowledging its existence, Miho's not going to let herself be miserable any longer.

"You… you're me…" Miho mumbles as she stops in front of her Shadow's head. Ithaqua lays on its stomach, face staring up at her with the same despicably evil red glow in its eyes. "No matter how much I want to run away... I won't, so it looks like I've got no choice to stand and fight." She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but despite her best efforts, her hands have started shaking anda sickly nausea has manifested deep in her stomach. Looking once more to Hideo and Marquis, she catches both of their eyes and sees them watching her next action intently, her Shadow having stopped moving once she got within speaking distance. The two of them both give encouraging smiles and thumbs up, which, despite being small gestures, somehow grant Miho an odd sense of bliss, calming her immediately.

"Heh…" She looks back to her Shadow, gazing gently into its eyes as she speaks with the utmost earnestness. "I've always been good at making friends. Well, actually that's not right… I should say I've always been good at making people like me… What I've never been good at... is trusting people. For the longest time, I've… refused to think of the people around me as equals; I could only ever see the worst in them. It's not really that I thought I was particularly better than anyone, but I thought everyone was worse than me..." She sighs, closing her eyes. "But I guess that's the same thing, huh? Since I felt like I couldn't trust anyone, I distanced myself, only going through the motions day after day, and fulfilling the bare minimum of social obligation such that I could avoid having to come to terms with my feelings." Her eyes snap open, cutting deep into her Shadow's glowing orbs. "I don't want to live that way anymore. I don't want to have to go through every day forcing myself to smile despite bitterly resenting the people I call 'friends', I want to genuinely be happy with the people around me… But until now, even if I had acknowledged how I felt, and even if I had wanted to change, I don't think I'd have known how…"

Looking between Hideo and Marquis once more, she continues speaking. "When I first met these two-as well as Chanum-I instinctively categorized them with everyone else-just worthless annoyances that serve no purpose but to expect me to be nice to them. As brutal as it sounds, that's how I felt. But… now I know better. I still can't quite understand why they'd do it, but all of them fought to protect me from the monster I created. For whatever reason, they…. they genuinely care… about me… They put their souls into helping me face you, and their lives at stake to protect me... and that's when it came to me: I can't keep putting everyone else below me, that's no way to live. It's lonely and painful and… yeah. Seeing the way that they're truly happy with each other… I… I want to feel that way, too… For once, other people have made me start to feel… hopeful for the future, like there's going to be more to it than the same day over and over… and the thing is, I like it."

Her Shadow's toothy maw curls up in a small smile. This time, instead of being a wickedly sadistic smirk, it seems to be genuinely kind.

"What's important," Miho continues, "Is if there's a side to me that's… colder than I let on, I've got to take it in stride, it's part of who I am, and hiding it is too painful to continue. But if that side of me distances myself from other people or…" She glances at Marquis, the two of them holding a gaze for several seconds. "...Hurts them, I… I've got to grow past it. Nothing'll change unless we fight, and I want to fight, right here and now, to become the best Miho Fuiji I can be."

Slowly pulling her arms from behind her, Miho reveals the knife she had been fiddling with this whole time. The dull light of the chamber casts a menacing shade over the blade as she holds it to the side before flipping it over and holding it in a reverse grip. Miho raises the downward-pointing knife over her Shadow's head. "The problem here is how I view people, and how I let myself walk down adark path of misery. So what I think I really need…" She takes a deep breath, holding it as she slowly closes then opens her eyes. "Is a change of perspective."

With a forceful jab, the blade pierces Ithaqua in the back of its neck, instantly causing the Shadow to go limp, its head falling hard on the ground and leaving Miho holding the knife covered in dripping Shadow ichor. A quiet moment passes, allowing Miho to bask in the knowledge she has ascertained, a wholesome peacefulness spreading through her body.

Eventually, though, the form of Ithaqua begins gradually glowing a pure white color. A few seconds is all it takes for the glow to become piercingly bright, and soon after, its body loses all form, becoming an amorphous cloud of radiant light that illuminates all corners of the massive chamber. Hideo, Marquis, and Miho herself can't help but marvel at the magnificent energy for the brief moment it lasts before taking motion. Suddenly, the light begins flowing like liquid into Miho's body, centered right around her heart.

A warm, blissful sensation spreads throughout Miho's body, involuntarily causing her to smile serenely. Eventually, the heat within her dies down, replaced by an odd, jittery sensation of pent-up energy that begs to be released, and Miho becomes conscious of Hideo and Marquis approaching her from both sides, the two of them smiling with an identical combination of sheepishness and an unusual sense of pride-or maybe it's satisfaction.

"Nice work there, Miho," Hideo says, feeling undeniably content in seeing how much Miho's demeanor has changed immediately after choosing to fight her Shadow. As he approaches her, he dismisses his Persona, allowing it to disperse into flame. Marquis does the same.

"Eheh…" Miho grins, looking back at him with a thankful smile. "It was mostly you guys, what, with the huge explosion and everything."

"Nonono!" Marquis butts in, a huge smile stretching across her face. "We only had our Personas do stuff, you had the hard job. And you did great!"

"Alright, alright," Miho concedes with a short giggle. "I'll admit I'm pretty cool." She turns away from Hideo and Marquis to face the now empty space that her Shadow once occupied. Despite the restlessness caused by the sensation of pent-up energy, Miho can't help but feel much more peaceful all of a sudden-like a colossal weight on her heart has just been lifted.

She looks down at the now clean knife in her hand-the goop on the blade having dissipated with the Shadow-and suddenly stops. Out of the corner of her eye, she can't help but notice something new: a metal shield fastened firmly to her left forearm. Miho releases a slight gasp as she examines it, seeing that the shield, while small, is a kite-shaped, ornately carved, beautiful piece of work. What's most striking, though, is the chilling depiction of her Shadow's visage engraved on the face, its mouth open wide with teeth bared, and its eyes cruelly gazing outward, sending a shiver down Miho's spine as her gaze meets the shield's.

Behind Miho, Hideo gets Marquis' attention and starts herding her towards Biff and the fight against the King. "Come on, we've got to help Biff before he, like, dies." Hideo freezes as though suddenly remembering something, and he pivots on his heel to face Miho. Her back remains turned to him, thus obscuring his view of the shield. "Oh, uh, Miho, we'll finish this up quick. Just stay back and keep safe."

Miho remains silent for a moment. "No..."

"Huh?"

She tightens her fist and turns around, her left hand raised diagonally across her chest to reveal the kite shield, its startlingly familiar iconography causing Hideo to step back in surprise. "Is that…? You…" He stammers, instantly recognizing what it means.

Miho nods. She has no need to clarify what the purpose of this shield is. After watching Hideo and Marquis fight, they seem to be some tool to summon a Persona. Besides that observation, though, she can't help but feel like the information was always in her mind, but is only now being accessed-as though she'd always known how to summon her other self. Without another word, Miho begins strutting forward, the remnant of the metal chain around her leg making a jarring grating noise as it drags over the stone floor.

She passes between Hideo and Marquis, looking at neither of them. Instead, she opts to stare directly at their true enemy: the disgusting pile of quivering grey flesh that has taken the place of the Shadow King. Even now, it barrages Biff with attack after attack, swinging wildly at him with its giant tentacles while letting loose magical attacks of every imaginable variant. Bolts of crackling electricity arc out of its central form and crash into the ground with a boom, not even leaving a moment's pause before being followed by searing balls of fire and torrents of green magical wind.

Biff takes most of it well, either blocking each hit with his hulking Persona or rolling out of the way, though the extended fight seems to be wearing down on his stamina and he quite clearly breathes raggedly with every lapse in attack he can get. To Miho's surprise, his Persona suddenly changes forms into a slender, albeit naked man with a flower on its head. A streak of lightning zaps from the Shadow King into Biff's new Persona, having no evident effect. The bolt is immediately followed up with a blistering ball of fire flung right into the Persona's meager form, instantly causing it to dissipate into thin air and sending Biff flying back, reeling from the attack.

"BIFF!" Hideo and Marquis cry at once, both rushing forward to try and help him.

With Biff on the ground and defenseless, the King begins gathering power for a final attack. Glowing red flame begins gathering in front of its form, slowly coalescing into a large ball of pure energy simply waiting to annihilate Biff.

Miho stops her advance several meters from the short staircase that leads up to the King. Inexplicably, she feels the restless sensation of pent-up energy increase substantially, causing her to subconsciously fidget. Despite never having experienced this feeling before, she knows what it means, and she knows what must be done; what must be done to save Biff, as well as everyone here. To repay them, even a little bit, just for caring about her. The energy begs to be released, so Miho will oblige.

Her left arm feels lighter than usual despite the metal shield firmly fastened to it. Miho closes her eyes, silently affirming her resolve to fight and grasping hold of the other self that must be released. The knife Marquis lent her falls out of her lax grip and to the ground. Now ready, she clasps her hands together, takes a deep breath, then thrusts both arms into the air, feeling one word push its way to the forefront of her consciousness.

"Persona."

Biff sidesteps yet another of the King's haphazard tentacle strikes, allowing it to slam the ground before him with a deafening boom. The attack leaves yet another giant, tentacle-shaped dent in the floor, each ruthless strike moving with enough force to splinter the solid stone underfoot. "Nice shot!" Biff taunts, throwing his left fist up and summoning Cthulhu in a flurry of flame. His Persona unleashes a frenzied roar before plunging a series of punches into the side of the tentacle before it can even retreat.

The King makes a distorted gurgling sound most similar to a groan of pain as he takes the hits. As he speaks, his many mouths all open and close randomly as though lip-synching gibberish, seemingly having no connection to the words being imposed inside Biff's mind. "Your bravado will mean nothing when you and all your worthless friends are the first of many corpses to come," The King snarls, wasting no time in immediately unleashing a bolt of crackling lightning.

There was a slight buildup to the attack as the King gathered energy, leaving Biff with only a split second to react. In this moment, he has Cthulhu draw up its form and make itself appear big, functioning as a shield for Biff himself.

The lightning connects with Cthulhu on the shoulder, creating a small-yet powerful-explosion as the energy is released on impact. Cthulhu roars with rage as it takes the hit, its impacted side falling backward and staggering before Cthulhu can catch itself. As the bolt impacts his Persona, Biff feels an aftershock of the attack transmitted to himself, the surprising force causing him to stumble back. The feeling of the lightning strike to Biff is most comparable to the heavy kick of firing a shotgun-only much more powerful, and Biff can't help but expect that he'll be feeling sore for a couple of days.

"Damnit," He grimaces, clutching his shoulder and breathing heavily. "How much longer, guys. Come on."

"How much longer can you fight?" The King jeers, granting Biff an unexpected respite. "You have no way of killing me on your own, yet I'll continue to wear you down. You're fighting a downhill battle that'll only end in death."

Biff blocks out the King's vain words and catches sight of the enemy around his Persona. In front of the quivering protean mass, crackling electric energy seems to be gathering into a ball magnitudes larger than the previous bolt-the insults were only a distraction so the King could charge up his next attack.

"Hmph," Biff smirks, taking full note of the King's cockiness. Normally trying to take on such an attack as the sole target would be devastating, but Biff has a plan. He quickly slides his hand around the rim of the shield, calling out to another self. "Narcissus, come."

Cthulhu's form reverts to the blue energy from which it came, yet its shape remains intact for a moment before-moving like a liquid-it's swiftly sucked into the shield and is immediately spit back out. After transferring itself, the energy quickly assumes the shape of a slender humanoid and soon materializes into its new form, revealing Biff's Persona to have changed to Narcissus.

Without a second to spare, the King's lightning ball unleashes its might at Biff, firing a steady stream of electric energy from the crackling yellow ball he generated. Before impact, Narcissus spreads its frail arms out, simply allowing itself to be attacked. As blistering electricity drives its force into Narcissus, surprisingly, nothing much really happens. It's as though the lightning had simply hit the ground, as all of its energy dissipates on contact.

Laughing heartily, Biff decides to take this opportunity to taunt his opponent. "Wow! That almost hurt! Now I see why they made you the King, my lieg-" And suddenly, his Persona is engulfed in a blast of pure flame.

Biff is sent flying back several feet as his Persona takes a hit much harder than anything he's experienced thus far. Off to his side, his club goes clattering to the ground with a dull series of thuds. "What the hell…" He groans, gripping a hand to his chest as he struggles-and fails-even to sit up and look around.

"Should have paid more attention." The King chastises. "Though I can't say I expected much more. Of course a brute like you'd fall for a bit of misdirection." A familiar booming laughter begins filling Biff's ears and drowning out all else, its tone deep and menacing, but infuriating above all else.

"Hng… damnit…" Biff tries to force himself to his feet but his body refuses to obey. Despite there being no lingering flames, he feels like the whole of his being is still on fire, his muscles going unresponsive as they're consumed with pain. At the moment, he's not even capable of moving his left arm enough to summon a Persona.

The only thing Biff is actually capable of from his supine position is watching the King charge up another steadily growing ball of fire. Biff immediately goes wide-eyed at the sight and tries rocking himself back and forth in an attempt to wake his body up or something. It proves to be very ineffective, and the King's fireball is only growing. "No damn way… this isn't how it ends..." Biff growls, his body going slack once more.

At this point, he knows his only hope for survival is his teammates showing up and saving his ass, but last he checked, they were sitting around talking with Miho. "You better not be chattin' up your crush, Hidi, I swear…" Craning his neck away from the King, Biff checks on his friends' progress, only to catch a full view of Hideo and Marquis rushing towards him, and Miho on her own, awakening to a Persona.

The sound of shattering glass pierces through the King's booming laughter, stopping his guaffing and silencing everyone else in the room. Miho stands with her hands clasped and raised in the air as a whirlwind of air, seemingly generated out of nowhere, picks up around her, sending her long ponytail whipping wildly around. Flickering blue flames pour out of her upheld kite shield as though they were liquid, and as soon as the fire impacts the ground, it hastily spreads around Miho in a tight glowing circle before being picked up by the gale and whipped around her in a burning tornado.

Biff can't help but grin cockily despite the dire circumstances. His immobilized status has no effect on his speaking, so Biff calls out to Miho with as much voice as he can muster. "Kill 'em, Fuiji!"

Hideo and Marquis don't stop to gawk, instead opting to reach Biff before the King can make some final desperate attack while he's vulnerable. Biff looks up at his teammates as they stand over him. "Boy, am I glad to see you two."

"Grab an arm," Hideo calls to Marquis as he pulls Biff up by the left arm, placing it around his shoulder. "Eh... yeah. Long time no see."

Marquis does the same with Biff's right arm before smiling mischievously as she and Hideo start dragging their immobile ally away. "You're looking a bit worse for wear, Biff."

"Yeah, that'll happen when you take on the big bad guy yourself instead of sitting around talking about your feelings with Miho." Shifting his limp weight, Biff swings himself to nudge Marquis playfully.

"Hey!" Marquis protests.

The flames around Miho rapidly pick up in intensity, roaring as they whip around her. In total, the cyclone stretches from her feet to about a meter over her head, and after a momentofary wild rampage, the flames begin to gather in front of Miho into a more concrete, albeit amorphous form. As it coalesces, the fire begins to shift appearance to a radiant sapphire energy before morphing itself into a more humanoid shape and then finally materializing into a Persona.

The form that has manifested before Miho appears to be strikingly similar to the Shadow that was just defeated. Standing at about two and a half feet, it retained the taut, pale skin and lanky form of the Shadow, but none of the savage, bitter body language. For starters, its eyes are no longer a menacing red glow, but rather a cool blue aura; slightly less inviting is its mouth, which when open, still reveals a terrible maw of razor-sharp teeth. Covering much of its torso and reaching down to its knees, the Persona wears a pink light sundress patterned by tiny, sewn-in, black, diamond-shaped patches. On its head is a wide, floppy sun hat, the brim of which hangs low over the Persona's downturned face, obscuring all of its features from sight. This is the Persona Ithaqua, born from Miho's desire to grow beyond the misery that she had allowed to plague her for so long.

"No…" The King growls, his voice projecting itself into everyone's mind with a comforting twinge of fear. "How did _you_ awaken a Persona? You… you couldn't, you weren't strong enough to fight your shadow! I was sure of it!"

Miho feels her fists ball up in anger as this kidnapping, taunting, murder-intentioned bastard insults her to her face. "Yeah, maybe I wasn't." She spits, staring up at the putrid mound of flesh. "Maybe I wasn't strong enough to even accept my Shadow's existence, I'll give you that. But that was before-before I met them." She glances to Hideo and Marquis. "Before I realized my whole perspective was wrong. But I'm not alone anymore. And I'm not gonna be afraid to fight."

"Then if you'll fight," The King says ominously, all of his eyes simultaneously blinking then staring directly at Miho. "You must be willing to die." Without a moment's hesitation, the fireball that was intended for Biff unleashes itself towards Miho, soaring towards her idle Persona.

"Cyäegha." In the second between release and impact, Hideo raises his left arm and summons his Persona between Ithaqua and The King. The fireball impacts Cyäegha with what appears to be an overwhelming force followed by a rolling explosion, but Hideo gives no indication of actually being hurt. He turns his head towards Biff, still propped up between him and Marquis, and gives a faint grin. "I recently found out-thanks to Marquis, here-that my Persona is fireproof. Cool stuff, huh?"

Miho took a startled step back when the attack was released, but after Hideo's Persona blocked it, she turns to him and gives a grateful smile. "Thanks for that."

"My pleasure," Hideo winks, adjusting his grip on Biff. "Now hit him back, only harder." He de-summons his Persona, allowing Miho a clear sightline on The King.

Her ponytail swinging as she twirls her head back to the King, Miho's face is instantly stricken with resolve. From behind her Persona's back, she points up at their now-vulnerable enemy and barks out an order. "Hold nothing back, Ithaqua!"

The newly awakened Persona raises its head to look up under the low-brimmed hat. With a simple motion, its hands reach out together and begin conjuring a glowing blue light that gathers strength for a few seconds before exploding with a torrent of ice. The freezing energy generated by Ithaqua rapid-fires giant icicles in the same manner that the Shadow did before, releasing dozens of dagger-sized spikes in a matter of seconds.

With his main body defenseless, The King can't help but be struck by numerous icicles that sink deep into his blubbery flesh before he can bring a tentacle in front to block. The monstrosity unleashes a raging roar of pain as Shadow sludge begins pouring out of his wounds around the edges of the embedded icicles. Ithaqua continues firing into the trunklike tentacle until out of shots, finding the tentacles to leak sludge as well when the spikes actually manage to pierce its tough hide, some shattering on impact.

Miho turns to Biff, Hideo, and Marquis, completely and utterly serious. "Its main body is completely vulnerable. It doesn't even seem to be that tough if we damage it there. A few more good hits might be enough."

"Right down to business, I like it," Biff says, a grin on his face up until the burning sensation reminds him how much pain he's in. "I just uh… hng… need a breather."

Wordlessly, Miho extends her left arm before flicking her hand upward, mentally guiding her Persona to reach its own arm towards Biff. A green light spreads from Ithaqua's hand to Biff's body, instantly healing up any hits sustained.

"That works too." Biff shrugs off Hideo and Marquis then cracks his knuckles. "Now, I've got a certain bastard I ought to repay a beatin' to, so let's not mess around." Pumping his fist triumphantly over his head, Biff summons his Persona with a word. "Cthulhu!"

Switching the scythe from his left hand to the right, Hideo plunges his shield arm up. "It's go time, Cyäegha!"

Marquis raises her left arm in front of her, knife still in hand. "Atlach-Nacha! Come to me!"

All three of their Personas materialize in a line in front of them, falling suit next to Miho's Ithaqua. Before they charge into battle, Biff calls out a simple order: "Stay on your toes, stay together, and stay alive." And with that said, the four Personas slowly advance towards the Shadow King, the three members of MIFAS and the one rookie trailing behind.

"You naive children fail to understand; even with another Persona, it won't be enough to defeat me. Do you know the power I wield? I could raise an army of Shadows fit to destroy your world. In the face of me, the four of you are nothing, NOTHING!" The King begins screeching towards the end, yet the four heroes are unfazed.

The King's central protean form begins rupturing and swelling, its surface generating numerous pustules each on the verge of bursting. Simultaneously, every blister, rather than exploding, detaches itself from the main mass and launches towards the four Persona users. The blobs of flesh don't make it very far, all of them impacting the staircase leading to the King with a sickening squelch noise and bouncing down like they were made of rubber. Upon settling on the ground, they turn a murky black color and mill about before bursting into a more concrete Shadow form.

The Shadows that pinched off of the King are unlike most other Shadows from before. All of them retain the sludge-black texture of Shadow goo and are relatively similar to each other in that they appear to be barely-intact amalgamations, their forms widely varied and almost randomly generated. The Shadows' individual appearances vary anywhere between humanoids with inconsistent numbers and types of limbs, to beastly, four-legged creatures with numerous toothy maws and no eyes. In total, there are nine of these repulsive Shadows born from the King in a matter of seconds.

Moving to crush multiple of the Persona users at once, the King swings its leftmost tentacle towards the group, to which Biff responds by having Cthulhu rush forward and up into the air, impacting the tentacle mid-flight. The force sends Cthulhu instantaneously slamming into the ground feet-first, the tentacle grappled between its meaty arms. Once more, Cthulhu is successful in stopping the attack, and the King being blocked has opened his body for a counter attack.

"Go on," Biff growls, feeling the strain his Persona is under transmitted back to his own body. "This bastard's not goin' anywhere. Follow up."

Marquis gives Biff a thumbs up before spontaneously rushing the gradually-advancing group of Shadows. "I'll keep these other bastards from going anywhere, too. Get in there, Hidi!" Her Persona lunges forward in a split-second and impales the nearest shambling Shadow with all four of its bladed legs, instantly killing it but still opting to go for a dramatic finisher by ripping its blades out in four different directions, shredding it to bits. In response, the King fires off another round of Shadow Spawn.

"Marquis…" Hideo starts to comment.

"I'll be fine," She interrupts, seamlessly dodging a swing of a Shadow's clawed arm before stabbing both of her knives into its back and throwing it to the ground. Marquis fights much more gracefully than one would expect by looking at her. Working in perfect conjunction with her Persona, she seamlessly dances between Shadows to take down two at a time, easily thinning their ranks.

"Let's go, Hideo. If we move to his side we can get a better shot." Miho places a hand on Hideo's shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts of arguing with Marquis.

"...Yeah, alright, let's go," He concedes. The two of them run past Marquis' fight along the tentacle Cthulhu continues grappling. Their Personas linger a few steps behind so as to not block their views of the fight. A Shadow attempts to lunge towards Miho and Hideo, its shape closest to a malformed, hunching human with no discernible legs and only one large, clawed arm. Hideo reflexively steps into the attack, raising his scythe to block it with the staff. Before the Shadow can make another move, Hideo forces the staff upwards to push off the Shadow's hand before drawing the blade away and behind his back to finish with an overhead power attack, instantly burying the double-edged blade deep into the Shadow's shifting form. With a yank, Hideo withdraws his scythe and takes a step backward, glancing at Miho just, you know, to make sure she was watching.

Miho gives a short applause as Hideo steals a look at her. "Beautifully executed… _Hidi_." She puts emphasis on 'Hidi' and chuckles as she uses Biff and Marquis' pet name for him.

Hideo's face goes slightly red. "W-wait, you can't start making fun of me too, you- uh… n-nevermind, we have to keep moving." And with that said, he awkwardly pivots and continues moving along the tentacle and towards the King, Miho following and still giggling gently. She can't help but feel like acting this playful is out of character, but since fighting her Shadow she's been feeling undeniably lighter-it's honestly refreshing.

Eventually, the two of them reach the left side of the stairs leading up to The King's main body. "We can get him from here, I don't even think he's paying attention to u-" Hideo cuts off his sentence mid-way through, making a choking noise as every one of the Shadow King's eyes turn to face himself and Miho.

"You thought that would work?" The King booms, his voice ringing in their minds. "Idiotic peasants. You will never be heroes; you will barely even be remembered-now your friends will have to watch the two of you get crushed to a broken pulp."

With that said, The King pulls up the tentacle which Cthulhu had blocked, preparing to pulverize Hideo and Miho. "Now prepare t-" As he attempts to move the tentacle, he feels an incredible force weighing it down, keeping it from going anywhere. "What…?"

Biff puts his Persona under even more strain, its muscles bulging and shaking as it keeps the colossal tentacle from withdrawing. "I wasn't just trying to block your attack, I was trying to keep you from making more."

The King puts even more strength into drawing back his disabled appendage, which Cthulhu meets with more resistance of its own. The vulnerability causes him to have no choice but to wrap his right-most tentacle around himself in an attempt to ward off any side attack that Miho and Hideo could conjure.

Regardless, Biff calls an order to his friends, inciting them to attack, "Hit the base of the tentacle as hard as possible!"

Hideo hesitates for a moment, "The… tentacle?"

Miho's lips turn up into a slight smirk. "Trust him." With a wave of her hand, her Persona gathers frosty blue energy in its hands and charges up for a moment before firing a blast of pure cold all over the thickest portion of the King's tentacle. Under temperatures so insanely cold, the appendage freezes over in mere seconds, leaving a decent portion of it immobilized and even more vulnerable to being destroyed. On Biff's side, he feels the King's strength sapped by the frost, making his pinning job even easier. Miho turns to Hideo and gestures towards the frozen tentacle. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Hideo grins slyly as he has his Persona float forward. "So that's what Biff wanted. I would love to, eheh." Cyäegha stands before the waiting tentacle, its dual swords in hand and ready to strike, simply waiting on an order from its master. Hideo takes a deep breath, then mentally commands his Persona to hack away.

Cyäegha unleashes a flurry of brutal downward attacks, slashing its swords deep into the tentacle's flesh and shattering the parts that were frozen, eventually cutting down halfway through the base in a manner of seconds.

"Keep goin'!" Biff calls as the King unleashes a terrible roar of pain. Taking advantage of any lapse in resistance, he has Cthulhu put as much strength as it can muster into pulling back on the tentacle. Shadow sludge begins sloshing onto the floor en masse and spreading out in a viscous puddle, even more being drawn out and strewn around the surroundings each time Cyäegha pulls back its blades. After a few seconds of the two Personas unleashing their attack on two fronts, Biff feels it start to give, and he has Cthulhu give its all to one final yank.

With a repulsive tearing noise, Cthulhu rips the largest part of the tentacle clean off, and in a display of strength, Biff has his Persona throw the colossal detached limb off to the side. Having claimed victory in this particular contest of strength, Cthulhu bends slightly back and unleashes a terrifying frenzied roar, drops of spit sailing out of the slot on the Silence of the Lambs-style mask which binds its mouth.

The King's pained roar intensifies to more of a shriek, jarring and stunning every single one of the Persona users for a brief moment. Biff clutches his head, trying to block out the screech as he shouts over to Hideo and Miho. "Come on, hit him now!"

The duo can barely hear Biff as he calls to them, yet they push through the disorientation to ready their Personas. Upon losing a limb, the King completely reeled in pain, haphazardly drawing back the right-most tentacle and leaving himself completely open. Both Ithaqua and Cyäegha begin charging energy for an attack, preparing to strike with the full intent of killing.

Hideo glances to his side and grins at Miho, "You know, you're uh… pretty good at this."

"Never much thought of myself as the monster killer type, so I'm just as surprised."

Simultaneously, both Hideo and Miho's Personas unleash their attacks. Cyäegha's laser beam crackles with energy as it impacts the King's quivering flesh, searing it from a dull grey color to a crispy black. At the same time, giant icicles moving at the speed of bullets blast from Ithaqua hands and pierce countless holes over the King's body, only causing more and more sludge to pour out from within. Needless to say, the attack is beyond successful. All but a few of the Shadow King's eyes are either closed or shot out by Miho, and its form, despite being a mass of flesh, is noticeably slouched over and in pain. Its quivering has become more of an unstoppable convulsion than anything, agony no doubt rocking its disgusting body.

Hideo turns towards Marquis and notices that things could definitely be better. The King used the time during which they were focusing on the tentacle producing more Shadows, leaving Marquis standing in the middle of a cluster of at least 40 of the amalgamations. While she's doing remarkably well for holding them off with a combination of stabs, dodges, and blasts of holy light from her Persona, it's only a matter of time before they overwhelm her.

"Biff! You've gotta finish him off! We'll help Marquis!" Without waiting for a response, Hideo positions his scythe to gore the first Shadow he sees and runs towards the cluster, Miho and their Personas following close behind.

"Will do," Biff spits before strolling menacingly towards the towering staircase. Cthulhu stands by his side, casually crushing a Shadow with a single punch if for no other reason but to scare the King. "I've been waitin' for this for quite a while, ya know."

The King's voice resounds in Biff's mind, clearly in agonizing pain."You… are nothing… NOTHING. I… will kill you…"

Biff chuckles to himself. "Those're some bold last words. Sure ya don't want to try again?" He slams his foot onto the first stair, making it more than clear that he's coming.

"I'm not... dead yet…" Booms the King as he desperately swings his one remaining tentacle down towards Biff.

From Biff's perspective, time seems to slow down as the tentacle sails towards him with the full intent of crushing. It's an odd sensation, yet its reason for occurring makes a bit more sense when Biff hears Safie's calm voice call out to him from a place between dream and reality, mind and matter.

"The final leg of this battle begins, and beyond that... the rapidly approaching darkness. The bonds you've forged have gotten you this far, but it's fallen to you to finish this deadly dance on your own. To face the danger present before you as well as that in your near future, you must call upon the greater strength of the Wild Card. Use the power your bonds have granted you, and unleash it upon the world."

"The Wild Card…" Biff mouths as her short monologue comes to an end. Instantly, the familiar sensation of pent-up energy bursts from somewhere within his chest, stretching to all of his limbs in a moment, leaving a new power that simply begs to be released.

In the moments before the King's tentacle strikes, thoughts of those he fights to protect run through Biff's mind. Those he's formed bonds of mutual care with-Abe, Boto, and most notably Marquis-all hold a precious place in his heart, and all of them are relying on him to safeguard their futures. He knows what he must do, it's the second time this has happened, after all.

"Persona switch," He growls, running his fingertips around the cool metal rim of his shield. The icon on the face of his buckler distorts from an image of the Tarot Fool, then reshapes into a glowing crescent moon. Cthulhu, still standing by Biff's side, instantly fades into shifting, glowing energy and gets sucked into Biff's shield then spit back out, assuming a newer, wider, and slightly taller form all in the span of about a second. The new energy continues shifting and rolling for a moment before settling into a more permanent, concrete shape that quickly materializes into a Persona, though it's not Cthulhu or Narcissus.

The new Persona, born from Biff's bond with Boto, appears to be a towering, overweight, blue elephant standing on two legs with its skin marked by black lines. Thick white tusks extend from the sides of its elongated trunk, and a single wide eye lies in the middle of its head. Clasped in one of the Persona's meaty hands is an unwieldy, oversized scimitar.

In the exact moment that the Persona finishes materializing, the tentacle strikes, slamming down hard on both its bloated form and Biff himself. One would expect a loud crashing sound from such an attack, or maybe even the sound of breaking bones as Biff is instantaneously crushed to bits. Instead, a loud, echoing twang rings out, the sound similar to if you hit a metal sheet with a baseball bat.

Biff looks up to his new Persona and sees the tentacle merely resting against its raised right forearm, all of the strike's force drained upon impact. There appears to be some transparent shimmering barrier formed millimeters between the Persona and the tentacle.

"More Personas…?" The King growls, shock apparent in his voice as Biff effortlessly counters his attack. "Damn brat, how... do you keep doing this? HOW?!"

Hideo glances over as blue light shines across the room from Biff's direction. "Another one? Keep it up, Biff!"

Biff ignores the King's tantrum and casually runs both hands through his hair, letting out the deep breath he had unconsciously been holding. "Strike back, Girimehkala."

At its master's command, a shockwave of force slams back into the tentacle from Girimehkala's arm, as though it were simply echoing the King's attack back to where it came. The force pushes the tentacle backward, sending it slightly back into the air. Taking advantage of the vulnerability, Girimehkala swings the hefty scimitar in its left hand up, using the force of its momentum to slash a gaping tear in the tentacle's flesh and allowing sludgy Shadow goo to spill out and splash on the floor.

As Biff turns back towards the King and begins ascending the staircase once more, his opponent lets out a furious roar of pain. A clap echoes through the room as Biff slams his foot onto the second step, his Persona standing right next to him. _Clap!_ Then the third. "Nothin' you pull'll stop me now. You talk big game, but when it comes down to it, you're nothin' without your cronies. My Personas are far stronger than anything you could ever try."

"I'll… make you rue this… You'll suffer by my hand..." After his numerous injuries, the King seethes in pain, slurring his words despite transmitting them directly into Biff's brain.

"We'll see," Biff states simply, grinning cockily.

"I'll... teach you to touch my throne, MAGARU!" The King screams out his attack as he conjures a flash of green energy and sends it radiating out from his convulsing form. The energy, rather than being any sort of material damage like a lightning attack or a fireball, is an intense torrent of vibrant green wind, its force more than capable of sending a human sprawling across the ground (or falling down a staircase).

While the King is preoccupied shouting out what he's going to use, Biff somehow instantly understands what he must do to win this fight-the answer coming to him as if it had always been there. He closes his eyes and touches the rim of his shield once more, calling upon the power of his budding bond with Abe Abe. As he does so, the image on his buckler distorts and shifts from a crescent moon to a crumbling tower.

"Come to me, Jatayu." Girimehkala's massive form reverts to glowing energy right next to Biff, losing all solidity as it swiftly gets sucked back into his shield. The rolling energy bursts back out in front of Biff and reshapes itself into a distinctly avian form, bending and stretching for a moment before materializing and revealing itself in its entirety.

The new Persona appears as a large pink bird with a massive wingspan, stretching at least three meters in length and dwarfing Biff. A white mass that looks more like fur than anything fluffs out around much of the Persona's back where the wings meet its body, and a thick yellow tail stretches out from its backside. Finally, the Persona, referred to as Jatayu, has a crooked hunched neck that ends in a slightly anthropomorphic bird head with a golden-horned crown on top.

As the torrent impacts Biff and his new Persona, rather than sailing off of the giant staircase, they both remain standing firm, unmoved, and seemingly untouched by the King's mighty blast.

"Wh-what?! How are you-?!"

"I told you already: you can't stop me." Spreading his arms out to his sides, Biff sends his Persona into a counterattack. Jatayu waves its wings up and down as it releases a shrieking caw. With a loud _whoosh_ , the Persona conjures its own blast of slightly glowing magical green wind, sending the gale ripping into the King, its unprecedented power tearing a wide range of scratches, cuts, and gashes in the Shadow's flesh.

A vehement, pained grunt manifests itself in Biff's mind as his attack connects. Smirking arrogantly, Biff allows a _clap, clap_ to ring through the chamber as he ascends two more steps, slamming his foot down on each just to make sure his presence is known. Jatayu floats off to the side, approaching as its master does, its wings slowly moving up and down despite it not having a need for them in order to fly.

"You… I'll- hng…" The King can't help but trail off as he succumbs to his pain. He's looking quite a bit worse for wear, his revolting body being covered in numerous oozing stab wounds and cuts. Not to mention the fact that a large portion of his skin has been seared by Hideo's laser, leaving a long trail of still-smoldering flesh. As though needing to catch his breath, he makes an unsettling noise most comparable to a wheeze before continuing. "I'll… kill you all… all your friends… ALL… OF YOU…" The same wheezing interspaces his words as he struggles even to utter a basic threat.

"You keep sayin' that," Biff retorts casually, "But ya still haven't killed me like you promised." It's time to finish this, and no hesitation lingers in Biff's mind as he takes the path before him. Welling up once more, the sensation of pent-up energy swells from his heart to all corners of his body.

The second the energy starts to make his body tingle with an odd restlessness, Biff's thoughts stray to Marquis. Namely, he recalls exactly how the King has ceaselessly threatened to bring an end to the crazy yet oddly awesome life Marquis has introduced him to, as well as the precious bond that he and his fellow MIFAS members share.

Quite frankly, the thought pisses him off. A lot. Even on his last legs, this bastard threatens to kill them all. Apparently, he just doesn't know how to tell when he's lost-looks like Biff'll have to teach him. A bitter exhale forces itself out of Biff's clenched teeth as he calls upon new power once more-the Persona born from his bond with Marquis.

Biff clamps his hand around the edge of his shield once more, his knuckles going white from the grip as he yanks his hand around the rim, changing the icon on the face from a crumbling tower to a depiction of the sun with an eerily human face on it.

"Kill 'em, Mithras," Biff growls through tightened teeth, keeping his gaze fixed on the King as Jatayu de-materializes into blue energy and leaps back into the shield. The energy is immediately spat back out, arcing in front of Biff and hastily stretching and bending into a new form before materializing into a formal Persona.

The Persona, Mithras, appears as a tall man with golden, cascading hair. In its right hand, the Persona clutches a long, menacing-looking knife. Its two most noticeable features, though, are its skin, which is pale to the point of being a ghostly white, and the fact that its entire lower body from the waist down is encased in a giant dark stone etched with seemingly random golden runes.

"No…" The King seethes, a refreshing despair now making its way into his voice.

Without offering any chance for its enemy to muster a defense, Mithras lunges toward the King, its knife reared back and ready to sink into the quivering grey pile of flesh.

"Get… AWAY FROM ME!" The King roars, attempting to swat at Mithras with his one remaining tentacle. Tragically, Biff's Persona is faster, and Mithras reaches the King before the tentacle reaches it, affording it the opportunity to stick its blade into the soft mass of the King, right in between a patch of the eyes and mouths that cover his entire form. Instinctively in response, the King tenses up, unconsciously stopping his tentacle and bracing himself as the knife sinks inside. A silent second passes, and while the stab hurts a little, it's ultimately negligible in comparison to the extent of his other wounds. "Oh… heh… hehe...well that was underwh-"

And then a colossal flash of cyan-colored, purely-radiant light explodes from the knife, positioned point blank into the King. Knowing what was coming, Biff had already averted his eyes by the time his Persona unleashed its attack. With a slight grin on his face, Biff turns back to observe the damage as an anguished roar of pain deafens him from within his mind. His smile quickly fades into a sort of morbid horror as soon as he notices the fact that his conjured explosion took a huge chunk out of the Shadow King right where the knife impacted.

The King's wheezing completely fills Biff's sense of hearing, such that Biff can barely make it out as his enemy groans out one more spiteful utterance. "I...will...not...lose. I've… come… too… far…"

Biff almost feels guilty going on at this point. It almost feels like kicking a guy while he's down.

Almost.

"One more, eh?" Biff releases a short sigh as he places his hand on his Persona shield once again. "Well, whatever you say, I guess." With a short sliding motion, Mithras' form in front of the King dissolves to energy and is sucked back into the shield before being replaced by a colossal hulking silhouette. The energy slowly solidifies, turning a sickly greenish hue as its bulging, muscular form is made evident.

The Shadow King says nothing for once, only turning all of his remaining eyes towards Biff in a fairly unsettling vengeful glare.

Biff reaffirms his footing then pumps his left fist over his head. While his Persona's already out so he doesn't really need to do the motion, it's kind of a habit at this point. "Let's do this, Cthulhu! Tear 'em to pieces!"

The noise of Cthulhu's frenzied roar reaches Hideo, Miho, and Marquis down at the foot of the stairs just as they wrap up killing the last of the amalgamation Shadows. "Holy hell, Biff..." Hideo mutters, getting distracted by the sight above.

With the same door-crushing strength demonstrated before, Cthulhu unleashes a series of punches into every open space of flesh it can find. Each hit leaving a sizable dent, Biff's true Persona crushes down with lethal force over and over until the gray mass of flesh that has plagued them for so long quits moving, and even then it throws in a few more punches for good measure.

"That's enough, Cthulhu," Biff says, drawing his Persona a few steps back as he examines the crumpled, repeatedly dented form of his enemy.

Suddenly, the King's amorphous shape begins bubbling and rolling like a pot of water set to boil, its color changing from grey to sludgy black in a split second. The defeated King continues shifting its shape in such a manner for a few moments before his darkened silhouette begins to shrink from the giant formless mound to a more humanoid, albeit overly large, form. Off to the side, the one remaining tentacle instantly turns to black sludge, falling to the ground in a puddle and quickly dissipating into nothingness. A few more moments pass as the Shadow sludge sets itself in place before materializing into the King's normal form-an oversized person dressed in grossly gaudy robes, all topped off with an ostentatious crown expertly crafted with a velvety red material, solid gold, and priceless gems.

The first thing Biff notices right off the bat is how banged up the King looks. Deep gashes and holes cover his body, and sludge pools out under him like blood, presumably as a result of the giant chunk taken out earlier. Oh, yeah, also he's missing his right arm. Overall, he's not doing too hot.

"You… beat me…?" At this point, the King seems incredulous at the notion of having been beaten by brats like Biff and his friends, still barely capable of accepting the possibility of losing. His voice no longer rings through Biff's brain, but rather is produced the old-fashioned way out of a mouth.

"Yup," Biff states, plain and simple. Never the type to stand around, Biff has Cthulhu lunge forward and grab the King by the one good arm, the Persona's meaty hand easily clasping all the way around. With one smooth motion, Cthulhu pivots 180 degrees and throws the Shadow King down the steep staircase.

The King goes tumbling down the solid stone steps, grunting with each impact before he eventually lands sprawled on the ground at the bottom. Hideo and Marquis glance at the King, both of them simultaneously cringing at his battered body before turning and approaching Biff as he slowly descends the staircase. Miho lingers for a second longer, staring down at the King until his eerily human eyes meet hers and she averts her gaze.

Once Biff reaches the bottom, his Persona de-materializes as he decides it's fine to release the mental grip keeping it summoned. As he does, everyone else does the same, including Miho-who suddenly feels particularly fatigued.

Hideo steps forward, clapping him on the back and flashing a carefree grin that barely attempts to conceal the relief plastered all across his face. "You did it, man. We… we won."

Biff furrows his brow and shrugs Hideo's hand off his shoulder. "Ah… you know I couldn't've done it without you all. It was a pretty good fight, though."

Marquis nods enthusiastically while deftly slipping the two knives in her hands back into their sheaths. "Oh, yeah! And throwing him down the stairs was a nice touch! I was a big fan of that."

"Hey, it's what I do," Biff says with a snicker.

"What now?" Everyone's attention turns to Miho as she suddenly speaks up. Standing next to the Shadow King, her emotionless yet utterly serious expression gives off a terribly menacing vibe. "The deed isn't done yet. What you came for… it isn't finished."

Hideo, Marquis, and Biff all fall silent, the former two exchanging a concerned look as the latter meets her steely gaze. Biff and Miho hold a long stare before eventually, Biff shifts his gaze down towards the King. Their enemy, crumpled and beaten on the ground, lies on his back, propping himself up with his one remaining arm so as to stare right at the members of MIFAS

As Biff acknowledges him, the Shadow King begins to speak. As he does, Miho gingerly groups up with the rest, their backs turned to the throne as they all stare down at the King, no one moving a muscle.

"So… you won..." He mutters with a residual bitterness lingering in his tone. "My congratulations. Now comes the fun part: who's gonna be the one to kill me?" He waits for a minute, clearly enjoying the guilt creeping into everyone's expression. "I'm already beaten so horribly, I- ugh…" He trails off, cringing in pain. "...It would really be more inhumane to let me suffer like this... unless that's what you think I deserve. Eheh… oh, who am I trying to fool? Give me a few days and I'll be good as new. That's the funny thing about Shadows-unless you pull them by the roots, they'll be back before you know it. So that means if you don't kill me right now, everyone you've fought so hard to protect will die anyway… hee hee hee…" After a moment, his pained laughter begins to trail off into a fit of coughing.

"I'll do it," Biff states, gritting his teeth and casting his eyes down from the King. He wouldn't have expected to be feeling this way here of all places, but a terrible sense of dread washes over him as he announces his action, and judging by his friends' expressions, they feel the same way. "I… why the hell do I feel like this is wrong all of a sudden. I knew this was what we had to do…"

"I'll tell you why," The King interrupts. "It's because I'm a conscious being, full of emotions and thoughts of my own. Me being a Shadow doesn't make any difference, after all, killing me would be like killing that 'halfie' over there." He nods his head at Marquis.

Marquis cuts into the conversation, suddenly feeling particularly riled up. "You keep calling me 'halfie'. What does that mean…? What… what am I? Am I really... half a Shadow?" Her hands curl into loose fists as she pleads with the King, her cry for answers only being met with a cruel smile.

"Hm hm... " The King chuckles at Marquis' anguish, relishing any semblance of power he can hold in this position. "I think… I'll take that secret to my grave. I'll be able to leave this life with some morsel of peace just so long as I know you're still suffering on this side of existence."

Marquis begins to get frustrated, and she starts trying to protest until Hideo calmly places a hand on her shoulder to pull her back. "He's already dead, Marquis. It's no use. He's just trying to mess with you," he mutters. Reluctantly, Marquis concedes, stepping back and slumping her form disappointedly.

The King addresses Biff once more. "Now, it's not like killing me will have any… consequences for you. You won't go to jail; no one would even know. But that's not the problem here. No... killing me, Mr. Chanum... killing me would be plain old murder."

Biff's hands curl up and quake unconsciously. He suddenly feels indescribably anxious, but also more than pissed off at the same time, creating an odd combination of simultaneous emotions. "I… but I have to…"

Marquis interjects as Biff trails off. "Biff, you…"

Biff immediately turns to Marquis, his brow furrowed now with both anger and anguish. "I what? I can't leave him, Marquis! He'll kill everybody! Literally. Everybody. All I need to do is… DAMNIT. " He hangs his head and habitually runs both hands through his shoulder-length hair, rustling it. "I'm sorry, Marquis, I…"

Marquis looks more than a bit distressed when Biff lashes out at her but drops the concern when she sees the pain splayed across his face. "No, you're right, I was going to suggest we tie him up and stick him in someone's basement in the real world, but then I realized keeping a hostage hidden would be hard and then also someone's basement would have a monster in it and-"

Hideo interrupts her. "Marquis, I mean this in the nicest way possible: please shut up."

Marquis instantly shuts her mouth, looking more than a bit awkward. "Oh, sorry, I'm just nervous."

"So what'll it be, Chanum?" The Shadow King interrupts once again, attempting to force an answer. "My life, or everyone you know and love? Hee... hee…"

"You're a real bastard, you know that?" Biff sighs, dropping his hands to the side.

"So I've been told."

"Hmph." Biff reaches to his belt to grab for his club. "Well, you already know what my answer is. I… I came this far; I'm not losing now." As he attempts to grasp his weapon and fails, Biff recalls that it fell out of his hands when the King knocked him over. Biff looks around the room and locates it off to the side. "Ah, I'll grab it later. Probably for the best; usin' the club'd be a bit too brutal for my tastes, honestly." He turns towards Marquis and reaches out a hand. "May I... borrow a knife?"

Marquis silently reaches to her belt and draws the long black dagger she bought from Abe's shop. Clutching the knife by the hilt, she steps forward and uses both hands to first give it to Biff, then close his fingers around it. Marquis keeps her hands around the knife and Biff's own hands for a moment as the two exchange a long look.

Eventually, Biff steps back, turning first to Miho who gives a silent nod with a slight reassuring smile, before looking at Hideo.

"Thank you, Biff… really."

Biff offers no response as he turns and faces the King once more. Knowing the time has come, his enemy pushes himself up with one arm, sitting straight. "Come on." The King says dryly. "I haven't got all day. But let me warn you: I told you, I won't be the last Shadow to threaten your world. I'm merely the first. If you kill me, you'll consign you and all your little friends to an eternity of battle. And an eternity of battle can only end in one way. It's truly, truly hopeless."

Biff drops to one knee, a little less than a meter of space between him and the King. He lets out a short sigh as he flips the knife into a reverse grip, still holding it off to the side. "Nah... I can confidently say you're wrong. As long as someone's willin' to stand and fight, it's never hopeless. If we have to rise to the occasion over and over, so be it. We'll do what we must to protect those that we care for." Biff slowly raises the knife as though he were some slasher movie killer about to take his next victim. "And I won't let anything stop us."

And before Biff can even strike with the blade, a thick black spike, dark as obsidian, pierces through the King's chest from behind, its end shaped like a square pyramid and sharpened to a fine point.

Eyes widening, the King looks down at the spike through his chest, shadowy sludge already leaking out the wound. "No... you..." He mumbles, his words fading as his eyes flit closed. The arm he was using to support himself falls limp, yet he remains in the position he had assumed, the foreign body impaling him being the only thing keeping him upright.

"Wh-what?" Biff stammers, taken completely by surprise. Everyone behind him unleashes similarly startled cries before the King is shredded to pieces.

The four sides of the spike come apart, revealing themselves to be individual blades pressed together, every edge serrated and deadly sharp. As it does so, Biff can see the root of the spike behind the tip to not be a shaft like a spear, but rather a long, wide, silvery cord that split apart with the dividing blades. Moving like a blender, all four pieces of the spike whirl around in circles before ripping themselves out of the King the way they came, tearing him apart in a split-second.

Biff is instantly splattered with Shadow sludge, though the material quickly dissipates with the untimely death of the King. He hastily wipes his eyes to try and catch a glimpse of the attacker and is just barely able to see a tall, almost metallic looking form highlighted by shades of black and silver before whatever it is fades into a rapidly dissipating crimson energy. As the energy vanishes to a point where Biff can see what lies behind it, he begins to catch sight of a smaller form, albeit, a distinctly more human one.

Whoever the new person is, they stand roughly ten meters away from Biff and friends. In the poorly lit chamber, it's a bit tough to make out details at any sort of distance, forcing Biff to squint in order to find out who it is.

"You… no way..." Biff mumbles after a moment of examination. The figure, facing the group head on with a clear show of confidence, is clad mostly in black. A dark, buttoned peacoat highlights their black trousers, the pockets of which they casually stick both hands in. Beyond that, Biff has to look closer to identify any more details. Eventually, he's able to make out a head of greased, slicked back black hair, thin, foxlike features… and an eyepatch fastened dead over their right eye.

"Boto?!" Biff cries, rising to his feet. Quite frankly, this the last place he would ever expect Boto to show up. Did he follow them here?

"Boto…" Miho mutters, knowing him no more than as a student under her management as student council president. She instantly goes on guard. Something's very, very wrong here.

"Boto?" Hideo says, glancing between Boto and Biff. Why is that guy Biff briefly introduced him to here of all places?

"Boto?!" Marquis shouts incredulously. She lowers her voice. "Who's Boto?"

Boto gives off a snide, despicable chuckle in response, and he slowly begins approaching the group. "It's me, everyone! I, the bad guy, have arrived!"

"What the hell…" Biff mutters before assuming a more confident stance as he shouts back at Boto. "You… what're you doin' here?"

"Well…" Boto starts, smiling cheekily. "I _was_ planning on stopping by the Dreamlands for lunch, but when I heard there was a Persona fight I just couldn't keep myself away!"

"A… Persona…" Biff mumbles, so taken off guard that he's barely able to find words to respond with. "You know about Personas...? Are you…"

"Yeah, remember me blowing up that King guy? What'd you think did that?" All this time, Boto continues his gradual approach, his shiny black dress shoes making a click, click noise as he very deliberately strides towards them.

Miho steps forward, standing next to Biff. "Cut the shit. We don't have time for this; why are you here?" It would appear Miho has gone relatively unfazed by the surprise, although she does pant heavily as she speaks, the earlier Persona summoning clearly having taken a lot out of her.

"Geez, no fun." Boto pouts, stopping his approach with a click-clack as he slams a foot down. "I literally just told you deaf idiots: I'm. The. Bad. Guy. I had to make myself known somehow, right? Mysterious villains are never any fun."

Inspired by Miho, Hideo steps forward as well, assuming a line formation with her and Biff. "What… what do you mean by 'bad guy?' A-are you here to fight us or something?"

"Fight you?" Boto's casual grin turns to a devilishly menacing smirk. "No, but if I were, none of you would survive." He reverts his expression back to an unsettling combination of easygoing and cocky. "What I was planning on doing was delivering some juicy information then popping off. As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I've got places to be, ya know?"

Marquis decides this is a good time to make herself known, too. She steps forward with the rest. "Uh, it looks like everyone's already acquainted. I'm Marquis, but you can call me-."

"I know who you are," Boto snaps, sending a particularly spiteful glare her way. For some reason, Boto looks at Marquis with some sort of untold, passionate hate. It's so unexpectedly intense, in fact, that Marquis instinctively yelps and steps back.

"Wait, wait," Biff cuts in, waving his hand dismissively. "No, you… you're not goin' anywhere until you explain what's goin' on... in detail."

"Or what?" Boto retorts with a sneer. "What'll you do? Will you fight me? Will you…" He glances at the pile of goo that was once the King. "...Kill me? I've heard that the lot of you are awfully fond of making your problems go away by killing them. That's what happened with the King, right? Met him then immediately decided to murder him? Real classy."

"I…" Biff starts, trying to figure out how to respond. He casts his eyes down, honestly taken aback by Boto's cruel words.

Not much caring to listen, Boto continues talking. "Will you kill me if I tell you that it was I who pushed Miho in here?"

Everyone simultaneously perks up, all of them narrowing their eyes as they try and figure out what Boto's trying to do here. Miho's the only one to speak. "You… what?!"

It would appear Boto relishes their reaction, and he keeps going. "Will you kill me if I tell you that I was responsible for this whole King dilemma? That I laid the seed which allowed the hopelessness of Makisini High students to manifest into one body, one that threatened the whole world? How about that?"

"What the hell?" Biff growls, taking a step forward. "Are you trying to screw with us or something?"

"...Maybe a little. But I speak the truth." Boto smirks right at Biff. "Do you know how pearls are made, Biff? Someone sticks a grain of sand in an oyster, and in response to the irritation, the oyster begins to build layers of material around the grain until eventually you have a beautiful pearl."

Not exercising much tact, Marquis thinks out loud. "Why's he talking about oysters now?"

Boto sends Marquis another scowl before continuing. "Besides being a nice little fun fact, it's a metaphor. Imagine the recently deceased King-bless his soul-is a pearl. In that case, I am the one who laid the grain of sand."

"You bastard…" Biff growls, his attempt at intimidation being undermined by how unsure he is of whether he should take Boto seriously or not. Honestly, there's nomuch good reason to doubt him, but the idea of this guy being the mastermind behind it all seems ridiculous.

At this point, Marquis begins to tune out of the conversation. _Mmm… I'm tired…_ She thinks, rubbing her eyes before glancing around the room. _That Boto guy really rocks the eyepatch, not gonna lie... I think Biff would look cool with an eyepatch._ As she imagines Biff wearing an eyepatch, a slight glint in the bottom of her field of view catches her eye. "Hm _?_ "

On the ground right in front of the group, where the King once lay, a small, slightly glinting gem rests in his place. About the size of a palm, the gem appears to be masterfully cut into a diamond shape.

Even further distracted from the conversation, Marquis stoops over to check out what's up with the gem. Snatching it with one hand, she raises it up to take a closer look. Up close, she can see that it's completely free from any cloudiness, so much so that her hand on the other side is clearly visible, and beyond that, the gem is tinged a radiant yellow, the same yellow in the eyes of all humanoid Shadows. Marquis moves her thumb to try and flip the gem over so she can look at the other side, but upon trying to do so, finds that it has fastened itself to her hand and refuses to move. "Huh…?"

"And why should we believe you?" Miho asks, somehow managing to keep her voice calm and emotionless despite how confused and slightly scared she feels.

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Boto retorts with a touch of sarcasm. "But maybe this'll make you trust me."

With a demonic grin on his face, Boto affirms his footing, slighting turning himself so his left shoulder faces the group. He slowly raises his left arm up, in doing so revealing the giant metal gauntlet covering his hand. Made of a dark steel set with silver inlay, Boto's gauntlet reaches about halfway down his forearm and is oversized to the point that one would imagine him being incapable of raising it, yet somehow his dexterity seems unaffected.

The tension in the room becomes palpable as Biff, Hideo, and Miho anxiously await what Boto's about to do. Marquis, on the other hand, is shaking her hand erratically, trying to get the gem off. Boto remains for a few moments with his gauntlet reaching up to the sky, allowing everyone around him to behold the sight. Eventually, he takes a deep breath and clasps his hand, making the distinct sound of metal clinking against metal. Pulling his fist down and turning it so that the back faces Biff and friends, he calls to the other self.

"Annihilate, NYARLATHOTEP!" He shrieks the name of his Persona with despicable glee. The silver lines on his gauntlet begin glowing a bright red color as the sound of breaking glass rings through the room. Crimson flames begin flowing out of every open space on the steel glove, pouring out like a liquid onto the ground. A gale of wind suddenly picks up, swirling the flame into a circle around Boto, and gathering it into a tall humanoid form. After settling into a shape, the flame begins to materialize, revealing his Persona.

Nyarlathotep appears as a tall, thin being that only resembles a human in basic shape. Its body appears to be mostly comprised of a combination of stark, steely metal and slightly glinting, dark material that resembles obsidian. Its torso is covered in the obsidian, from which two legs and two arms stretch from. The arms extend out as thick cylindrical tubes, entirely comprised of a series of steely fibers that allow it to bend at will without compromising durability. At the end of both arms are two of those obsidian-colored, pyramid-shaped spikes, one of which tore the King to shreds in an instant. Nyarlathotep's legs appear as extremely elongated triangular pyramids with panels of obsidian taking up the majority of each side, leaving only an edge of steel. Its head, too, is an obsidian colored, elongated triangular pyramid, its tip pointing forward and slightly down. Where its eyes would be, there are two short, thick lines of silver. Steel tubes similar to its arms stretch from the back of its head to the back of its torso. This is the Persona Nyarlathotep.

"You ARE a Persona user…" Biff mutters, barely believing his eyes. His fist quickly clenches as everything Boto claimed earlier becomes a hell of a lot more believable.

Hideo takes a step back and places both hands on the top of his head. "What the hell's happening?"

At this moment, everyone's attention is drawn by Marquis suddenly screaming in pain.

"Marquis?!" Biff cries, instantly flinching and turning to her.

She stands a few steps back from the rest of the group, flailing wildly. Only a moment ago, the gem on her hand began radiating an intense yellow light while simultaneously sending waves of pain wracking her body.

"Marquis, what's going on? Marquis?!" Hideo steps closer to her, taking note of the light beaming from her hand.

"I don't know!" She cries, quitting the flailing to try and rip the gem out. As she yanks with all the force she can muster while in such pain, it feels like pulling the gem would take a large chunk of her hand along with her, and her even trying to do so is so painful that it causes her to lax her grip. "The gem…" She mutters, falling to her knees as it begins to feel as though every inch of her body is on fire.

Hideo and Miho rush to Marquis to try and help her while Biff turns back to Boto. "What the hell did you do to her, you bastard?" He growls, taking a step towards him, fists balled.

"Well, _I_ didn't do anything. It's her fault for picking up that Shadow Stone." Boto shrugs and rolls his shoulders, seemingly dismissing Biff's threats.

"Shadow Stone?" Biff spits, stopping his advance and readying his Persona shield. "If you won't tell me, I'll make you talk."

"Hm… so brash," Boto smirks as he places his index finger and thumb on his chin as though contemplating. "Now I see why your parents shipped you out to the middle of Japan. Quite the violent child."

"Hng..." Biff didn't expect Boto to say that, but as close to home as it hits, it only makes Biff angrier. His mouth curls into an enraged sneer as he raises his fist overhead. "Hope you're ready for a beating, asshole. SIC 'EM, CTHULHU!"

As Biff begins to pump his fist overhead and summon his Persona, Boto raises a dismissive finger. "Let's not be so hasty." He flicks his finger to the side, in doing so, commanding his Persona to attack. Nyarlathotep heeds its master's call and crosses its arms in front of it. The Persona's body glows a deep shade of red for a brief moment before spreading its arms wide and unleashing.

Before Cthulhu even has a chance to fully manifest, a terrible surge of power bursts from inside Nyarlathotep. Boto's Persona releases a rapidly expanding orb of energy with a jarring boom. Shades of deep red and black mix and flow inside the translucent orb as it makes contact with Biff before continuing its expansion, reaching even Hideo, Miho, and Marquis. Biff immediately loses all grasp on his Persona as the malevolent energy fills him with an unnatural fear while simultaneously impacting him with enough force to send him flying backward all the way to Marquis.

The rest of the group experience the same overpowering force and nauseating fear send a jolt of intense agony spiking through their body. Everyone releases bitter cries of pain as they collapse instantly.

"What… is… happening…" Hideo groans, trying to push himself onto his knees. Tragically, he fails miserably and falls face first, his strength sapped by Boto's Persona. "Oof."

"...Marquis…?" Miho mumbles, slowly pushing herself towards an immobile Marquis. Marquis lays on the ground staring straight up, unmoving save a periodical convulsion accompanied by a yelp of pain as the now-pulsing gem sends more and more wracking pain.

"I'm not… gonna lose… NOW…" Biff roars, steadily forcing his body to stand despite feeling as though he'll collapse unconscious at any moment.

"Lose?" Boto chirps, tilting his head like a dog asking a question. "What? I'm not here to beat you. Quite the opposite, actually. Just now. I only wanted to, uh, flex my moves. Show you who's top dog, ya hear?" He juts his thumbs up towards himself while letting his Persona dissipate into red energy. "Just giving a friendly reminder that none of you can ever beat me, and I could decide to kill you at any time I feel like."

"You… bastard…" Biff mutters, his legs shaking under him. "I'll…"

"You'll what? Come on, Biff, take a seat. I'm not done talking." Boto casually struts towards Biff, clearly relishing the contrasting animosity and agony swirling in his visage.

Once within a meter, Biff lunges forward, putting all the strength he can into a haphazard punch with his right hand. A shock of pain rings through Biff's arm as the strike connects with solid metal. Completely nonchalantly, Boto simply raised the gauntlet enclosing his left hand and grabbed Biff's fist mid-air with the steely grip.

"So predictable," Boto tuts, yanking the already off-balance Biff to the side in order to stagger him before following up with a surprisingly forceful right-handed blow to the face. Biff collapses to the ground, reeling in pain as Boto heartily laughs. "Hoo, that was pretty cool, am I right?" He turns to Hideo, Miho, and Marquis, only to be met with vicious glares from the former two.

"Screw… you," Hideo mutters, leaning on one arm so he can look Boto in the eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Boto sighs, looking back down at Biff. "As I was saying, you guys ever hear the expression 'might makes right?'" No one responds. "Well, in this case, I'm might, and that makes me right. So I'm gonna lay out the rules to our little game. Going forward, I'll keep on putting the metaphorical grains of sand in these oysters. That's to say, I'll make more and more of these big Shadows to try and destroy your world, and you guys'll have to stop them. Isn't that fun? We'll see how long you can last before you and everyone you love has been slaughtered by an army of Shadows."

Biff and Marquis give no indication of noticing Boto's words, the two of them hunched over in their own suffering. Miho and Hideo, though, can't help but contort their faces in abject horror.

"You…" Miho mumbles. "You're absolutely mad…"

Boto shrugs before casually stretching his non-gauntlet clad arm. "But that would get boring eventually, so here's the fun part: there's one way you could potentially maybe beat me. I know your little group has already visited that huge tower in the Tokyo portal to the Dreamlands."

Keeping one eye on Boto, Hideo leans closer to Miho. "There's this… giant black tower thing in the Dreamlands-Celephais."

"Celephais!" Boto cries, perking up. "Thank you, I always forget that name. Anyways, at the very, very top of it, you'll find your Boto-killer. I can't tell you what it is, 'cause that'd ruin the surprise, but trust me, it'll be great. Of course, even once you get it, I doubt you'll actually be able to beat me, but I guess we'll have to wait and see, huh?"

"That's awfully nice of you to tell us," Miho says dryly, her lips pursed. "Why the hell do you think we would believe you. For all we know, it's a trap."

"Really?" Boto retorts sarcastically with a slight giggle. "A trap? Yes, that's exactly it. I'm entirely incapable of killing you all right now, so I need to trick you into climbing a giant tower to get rid of you. Great thinking, Miss Student Council President." His wry look melts into disdainful contempt. "You have no reason to distrust me, idiots, not that you have any choice. I'll tell you how this is gonna go. If you refuse to fight off the Shadows I unleash, everyone you care about will die, that much is obvious. If you stubbornly decide not to climb Celephais, you'll be condemned to an eternity of battle, and an eternity of battle can only lead to death. Eventually, you'll screw up, then everyone you care about will die anyway. You see, your only hope, however small it is, is to play my game."

"Why are you doing this?" Hideo asks, dread plastered across his face. "Why… why are you trying to torture us at the risk of ending the world…?"

Boto looks down at Hideo as if he were some peasant begging him for money. "Why? Because I can and it's fun. That's all the reason I need." Still towering over Biff and all his friends, Boto's cynical frown turns into a wide smile. "Now, I've said everything I wanted to, and maybe a little more. It's about time to take my leave, and I'd recommend the same to you. Dreamlands Constructs such as this castle have a tendency to collapse when the core-The King- is removed. But before I leave…" He clicks the heels of his shoes together and stands erect, pulling his right hand to his head in a military salute. "I salute our valiant defenders of peace and justice, the Mata Improvement Force and Assassination Squad-MIFAS. What a name! Eheh… heh… AHAHAHAH!" Laughing wildly, Boto loses his composure and turns to exit the way he came-out the giant double doors.

"I'll… kick your ass… one day..." His breathing ragged and heavy, Biff once again slowly pushes himself to his feet as Boto moves to leave the chamber. The side of his jaw where Boto punched him has already begun to bruise up, leaving a sickly purple splotch in a fist shape. Biff's whole body convulses as he barely manages to stay standing, to the point that Biff nearly collapses before catching himself.

"Will you?" Boto asks sarcastically, turning his head over his shoulder to meet Biff's spiteful glare.

"That's… a promise…" Biff lowers his head, his long hair obscuring his face as he sucks in several deep breaths. "Someday, somehow... I'll beat your ass. And I'll… make you regret… everything."

"Hm hm…" Boto smirks slightly. "I look forward to it."

As Boto turns and begins to exit once more, Biff hears Safie's voice ringing in his mind. Considering the desperate circumstances, her serene voice sounds more than a little out of place.

I am Thou, Thou art I

The bond Thou hast acquired hast now reversed

But the flame of thy heart is fueled nonetheless

As the forms of passion are infinite

Seeing now the true nature of thy bond

Thou shalt use thine rage as fuel

In facing the tribulation of thy destiny

Biff feels nothing but furious rage as Boto leaves, made worse by the fact that he and his friends are currently powerless to stop him no matter what terrible things he's about to unleash on the world. "DAMNIT," Biff growls, suddenly feeling intensely lightheaded to the point that he falls to his knees as the adrenaline begins to subside. "Damnit…"

Hideo and Miho begin to rise, the former rushing to Marquis instantly while the latter calls out to Biff. Eerie yellow light pours out of the gem still embedding itself in Marquis' hand, and while she's quieted down a bit, she still convulses regularly, yelping each time.

"Chanum," Miho says firmly, casting a quick glance towards Marquis. "We'll deal with Boto eventually. Marquis needs us now."

"Ok… I… damnit," Biff mumbles, turning his head to look at Miho. "Could ya lend me a hand? I feel like I'm gonna pass out at any second."

"Of course." Raising her left hand, Miho calls out to her other self as she approaches Biff. "Ithaqua!" Her gaunt Persona manifests by her side, its floppy hat hanging low over its eyes. Extending one hand towards Biff, Ithaqua conjures a gentle green light that arcs from itself to Biff, entering his body and swiftly healing his wounds. Ithaqua immediately de-summons.

"Thanks…" Biff says softly, rubbing the spot where his bruise once was. "But I think I'm still gonna be sore in the mornin'." Miho offers Biff a hand and helps him to his feet. Once up, Biff's capable of standing on his own, and the two hobble over to Marquis.

"Marquis! Come on, a nswer me, damnit. What's going on?" Hideo kneels by Marquis' side and shakes her by the shoulder in an attempt to garner any sort of response. The radiant gem catches his eye, so he raises her arm in order to take a closer look. "The Shadow Stone...?"

"It… hurts…" Marquis murmurs, her words interspaced by cringes of pain as the gem periodically pulses. Tears well up in her eyes as she begs for Hideo's help. "Please… make… it… stop…"

Now arriving, Biff and Miho kneel down next to Marquis as well. Feeling a sudden wave of dread wash over him, Biff tries to console his fallen friend. "Marquis… hey, you'll be fine, we'll get you out of here in no time. What's the problem, Hideo?"

"I-it's the gem," Hideo stutters. "Boto called it a Shadow Stone, but… he didn't say what it does."

"Well, it's clearly not good," Biff mumbles dryly, examining it himself. "Can we take it out?"

"No!" Marquis cries, interrupting the two of them. "Please, no...It's… hng… stuck…" Her eyes jump between Biff and Hideo as she says so, sending both of the boys' hearts into their throats. Her expression looks remarkably like a cornered animal fearing for its life.

Miho takes a look as well, holding Marquis' tensed fingers back so they don't impulsively clasp the gem. "It's embedded. Ripping it out would take most of her hand along with it."

Biff seems to consider ripping it out anyways before shaking his head. "That's no good. Miho, try healing her."

"Alright. Return, Ithaqua!" Stepping back, Miho summons her Persona once again in order to heal Marquis. The same green energy passes between the two, and yet there's no effect. Marquis still lies on the ground convulsing, and the stone shines as bright as ever. Ithaqua dissipates into blue energy.

Hideo places both hands on the back of his neck and leans back on his heels. "If only my Persona weren't useless here… I'm sorry, Marquis."

"You're fine, Hidi," Biff says, clapping Hideo firmly on the back. "We've all got strengths and weaknesses here."

"Except for you, Mr. Five Personas," Hideo says with a faint grin.

"This isn't the time for jokes." Miho cuts in, ripping the two boys out of their dialogue.

"I know, I know," Biff responds, turning serious once more. "But I still don't know what to do next. Healing her was my only pl-"

Mid-sentence, Biff is interrupted by the Shadow Stone suddenly glowing even brighter than before, to the point that everyone has to avert their eyes.

"What the…" Hideo mumbles as his vision is consumed by yellow light.

Everyone can hear a loud cry of pain come from Marquis in the time that the light fills the room before suddenly it all stops. As quickly as it intensified, the light of the stone completely disappears, and Marquis is left silently lying on the ground before she begins to sit up, looking somewhat dumbstruck.

"It's... gone?" Marquis asks, probing her arms and legs with her hands as if to verify that they're still there. "Hey, guys! I'm all good!" A dumb smile on her face, Marquis wipes the remnants of tears from her eyes as everyone else wordlessly stares at her. "Guys?"

"Marquis…" Hideo mumbles before shaking his head. After doing so, he scowls bitterly at her, only thinly veiling how grateful he is that she's alright. "Damnit, you gave us a real scare. Don't touch mysterious rocks ever again."

"Geez Hidi," Marquis says coyly with a mischievous grin. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were worried about me."

The two break into a heated argument as to exactly how worried for Marquis' safety Hideo was. Miho purses her lips and frowns slightly as she turns to Biff. "Are… they always like this?"

Biff releases the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. "Every single day."

"I see," Miho mumbles, a faint smile creeping its way onto her lips as Marquis pokes fingers at Hideo and calls him 'Hidiot' over and over.

"Hey… hey, Marquis," Biff interrupts, figuring he'd given Hideo and her enough time to greet each other.

"Huh? Oh, what's up, Biff?" She perks up and turns towards Biff, offering Hideo a chance to grumpily scoot away.

"Everything's just… fine? What happened to that gem thing?"

"Yeah!" Marquis leans slightly to the side, resting against one hand pressed to the ground. "I feel refreshed if anything!" She glances at her other hand-the one the gem was on-and gives it a confused look. "But the gem is gone."

"Gone? Like, inside you?"

"Maybe? If it is, it doesn't hurt anymore. I do feel kinda tingly, though."

Biff raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Like, the Persona kind of tingly?" After he says so, Hideo gives him a startled look, suspecting the same conclusion that Biff's arrived at.

"No, not like that," Marquis says, allowing both boys to relax. "It's… weird. Like, a nice tingly?."

"Alright, in that case, I'm glad you're alright." Biff gives her a slight smile as he rises to his feet, offering Marquis a hand.

"Th-thanks, I'm glad you're alright, too." Suddenly acting mildly meek, Marquis takes Biff's hand and pulls herself up.

"We're going to forget about the Shadow Stone just like that, after what it did to Marquis?" Miho cuts in, clearly not satisfied with how quickly they're moving on.

Biff turns to her, rustling his hair with one hand as he scratches his head. "Well, we aren't 'forgetting' about it so to speak, but we've seen a helluva lotta wacky stuff in here, so as long as Marquis is alright, I'm satisfied. It's not like we're gonna cut her open to look for a rock or anything." Marquis flinches at that last line.

"Alright…" Miho mumbles, placing one hand on her hip. "I guess that makes enough sense. Unlike everything else in this place…"

"You… get used to it."

Hideo pushes himself to his feet and takes a look around. Everyone looks more than a bit worse for wear, all of them clearly exhausted after such a series of events. He decides this is an excellent time to address the elephant in the room. "So… what about Boto…"

Biff's face noticeably clouds over as Hideo mentions Boto. "Let's… save it for another day." He rubs his eyes then sighs, grimacing as unanswered questions flood into his mind." I think it's about time we took our leave."

Miho interjects, raising one hand with a pointed finger. "We can talk about our friend Boto later. Everyone's had a long day."

"Heh, especially you, Miho," Biff says. "But I've gotta say, I'm surprised you've been takin' this Dreamlands stuff so well. Hideo wasn't nearly as composed his first time."

"Hey!" Hideo yelps.

Miho shrugs, "Just going with the flow. Figured the middle of combat wasn't a good time to ask my many, _many_ questions. I'll just interrogate you all later."

"Anyways, as you were askin', Hideo; as much as I've grown to hate that sonuvabitch Boto, he did mention somethin' about this place collapsing, so we might wanna get outta here, like, right now. Everyone good to walk that far?"

Hideo, Miho, and Marquis all answer affirmatively, and the group begins to shuffle towards the exit of the castle. "Keep your guards up," Biff says, "There may still be Shadows." Just before they make their way through the grand double doors which lead out of the chamber, Biff perks up, remembering that he forgot to grab his club. After trying-and failing-to make Hideo go back and get it for him, Biff reluctantly walks across the room to reclaim his weapon.

While they don't run into any Shadows, the group makes it about halfway to the exit of the castle before it begins collapsing on top of them. The timetable is hastened considerably as everyone hurriedly shambles their way out. They only just make it across the drawbridge as the walls bracing the colossal entrance door collapse inward. After only a few moments more, a deafening tremor rocks the already-cracking fortress, and the Shadow King's castle collapses into a pile of rubble.

"That was a damn close one," Biff says, staring at the once-magnificent mountain of grey stone.

"Guys…" Hideo mumbles, gazing out in the opposite direction. He stands at the edge of the overlook leading down to the village. To his right, the winding stone path begins to carve its way down the steep hill.

Everyone approaches Hideo's position to see what he's seeing. The towering wall that surrounds the village loses large chunks of itself as splintering cracks begin to form all over. Within its borders, the squalor huts which the Shadows of Makisini students called home collapse left and right into piles of wattle and daub. It would almost appear as though an earthquake were in the process of destroying the village, if not for the fact that the ground remains free from any tremors-it's only the structures that are collapsing.

Most striking, though, is the flood of Shadows that wander out of the now-open gate. The forms of the students-still dressed in their medieval peasantry garb-are now refugees of a broken home. With no place to go, they number in the hundreds as they drift out into the surreal landscape of the Dreamlands-made even more dreamlike by the setting sun which casts a chromatic shift across the multi-colored sky.

"You think they'll be alright?" Hideo asks, regarding no one in particular.

"What do we care?" Biff responds dryly, his attention captured by the astonishing sight. "They're Shadows."

From his side, Marquis looks up at Biff, a sad sort of glow in her eyes. "Well… I'm maybe possibly a Shadow and I have feelings. I sure know I wouldn't want to be homeless…"

"Huh…" Biff mumbles, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. "I… didn't think of that. Sorry, Marquis."

The group stands in awe for a few more moments, taking in their magnificent surroundings before Miho impatiently brings up the fact that they should probably get moving before the village collapses in on the portal, sealing them inside the Dreamlands.

In single file, Biff, Hideo, Marquis, and Miho make their way down the winding path, taking extra care they don't trip and go tumbling down-which Hideo nearly does, leading to everyone else making fun of him.

"Hideo, give me a hand," Biff says, staring down what was once the alley which concealed the portal back to reality. The two houses on either side have partially collapsed, sending large chunks of clay debris and boards of wood strewn across the path. Through the rubble, though, a purple light gleans between the cracks.

Before attempting to clear the way, the two boys dig through some rubble and retrieve their school bags from underneath. While some folders and the like are undoubtedly a bit bent from being under a couple of particularly weighty pieces of debris, it would appear they were spared the majority of any damage. Biff tosses Marquis her tote bag, which is bulging with the school clothes she stuffed inside considering she's the only one who changes into a combat outfit when entering the Dreamlands.

The nearest board is roughly six meters long and lies diagonally across the alleyway. While everyone could presumably squeeze under it, there are enough boards and perilously placed chunks of clay beyond it that navigating through the rest of the alley would presumably be dangerous, and after coming so far, no one's feeling like getting crushed.

"Don't worry, ladies," Hideo says with a grin, rubbing his hands together. "We'll get this out of the way in no time."

Hideo and Biff grab the nearest plank and start tugging while Marquis and Miho hang back, giving the two of them dubious looks as they clearly struggle greatly before shifting the board a little bit.

"Heh," Hideo huffs. "It's uh… heavier than it looks."

Marquis smirks mischievously. "Mhmm."

"Quit wimping out, Hidi." Biff grunts, moving his hands to get a better grip. "Put your back into it! 3...2...1... PULL!"

With renewed vigor, the boys yank at the board with all their might over and over until eventually it dislodges from its diagonal position and falls flat. Everyone gives an enlivened cheer as progress is made-that is, until they realize there are about six more boards to move.

"This is gonna take forever…" Hideo groans, hanging his head.

"Uh, yeah. If you take the stupid approach, Hidiot." Cracking his knuckles, Biff approaches the wooden foe on his own. He then lunges forward and stomps hard to put more force into his fist as he pumps it overhead. "CTHULHU!" His Persona swiftly manifests from the emerging flames, and after unleashing a roar, splinters every single piece of wood that blocks the path with its bare fists, revealing the floating, slightly shimmering purple hole in space-the rift.

"Geez!" Hideo cries, stumbling back as he blocks his face from the scattering chips of wood. "Why didn't you open with that?"

Biff turns around and shrugs as his Persona de-materializes. "Didn't think to."

"Yeah, Hidi," Marquis chimes in. "And I didn't see you coming up with any bright ideas."

"Why am I the one being attacked?!"

Miho giggles softly as she walks past everyone else to approach the portal. The sensation of supernatural fear and curiosity begins to take its hold on her heart, and she can't help but feel terribly anxious as she remembers what happened last time she saw a rift like this. "It… feels a bit off-putting to be standing back in front of this thing," Miho mumbles, her attention captured by the entrancing hole in space.

Everyone else gathers around and stares at it as well before Biff responds softly. "Yeah, it'll do that to ya. But this time, no one's shovin' ya in. Wanna do the honors?"

Miho nods and stretches out a hand. The rift playing tug-of-war with her heart, it takes all of Miho's willpower to force herself to touch it. Eventually, she overcomes and rests her hand on top, enveloping her-and everyone else's-vision in blinding white light.

When the light subsides, they've come to in the cramped custodian closet, instantly teleported back into the Makisini High practice building. Considering the space is pretty tight, everyone is crammed right up next to each other, and it's a bit of an awkward dance for them to all shuffle out.

As soon as they've made it out of the Dreamlands, the portal begins to shudder and distort, its light intensifying more than ever before.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Biff stammers. "What now?"

The rift continues bending and wobbling, its formerly rigid ellipses shape becoming more of an amorphous blob. After a few more seconds of it intensifying its light, the sound of shattering glass rings out before the rift disappears completely, leaving no trace whatsoever. With the portal no longer casting a purple glow over the entirety of the practice building's main hall, the only light that filters in is a dim orange from the late-dusk setting sun.

Marquis stands frozen, staring at the place where the portal once was. "It's… gone..." She keeps her back turned to the rest of the group as she stands in the closet doorway.

"We did it… guys, we did it!" Hideo says cheerily, albeit yawning halfway through.

"Damn right we did," Biff says before furrowing his brow. "And whatever that bastard Boto conjures up, we'll take care of that as well." Easing up a bit, Biff grins as he looks around, taking in Hideo's triumphant face, Miho's composure despite being through a veritable hell, and… Marquis... standing petrified with her back turned. "Marquis... " Biff says cautiously, bringing everyone's attention to her. "I ah… figured you of all people would take the chance to celebrate killing the bad guy. You all good?"

Marquis slowly turns around, revealing her panic-stricken, ghost-white face.

"M-Marquis…"

Despair floods her expression and flushes her face as she breaks her paralysis by throwing her hands up in the air. "That portal was my way home!"  
"Home?" Miho asks.

Marquis looks past Biff to Hideo, obviously panicked as she cries out in a hurry. "Hidi, what time is it? Come on, the last train to Tokyo leaves at eight o' clock!"

Hideo raises his wrist to look at his watch-that is, he tries to until he remembers there's nothing there. Marquis stares at him blankly, causing him to get slightly flustered. "I-I forgot I don't own a watch."

"Damnit, Hideo." Biff mumbles.

Hideo begins to reach into his pocket for his phone as Miho looks at her own watch and hesitates for a moment. "It's ah…" She glances up at Marquis, completely deadpan. "Seven thirty. You have half an hour to run across town to the train station."

After Marquis screamed and sprinted off, everyone that remained said their goodbyes before parting.

Though Miho, Hideo, and Biff do walk together initially, they all eventually split off towards their respective homes in time, eventually leaving Hideo alone. Hideo strolls down the sidewalk leading to his house as the sun finally obscures itself below the horizon, and it progressively gets darker and darker.

Once home, Hideo pulls open the door and walks in without announcing his presence, hoping he can slip by his parents so that nothing will stand in the way of him going to bed.

"Hey, Hideo!" His dad calls cheerily. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kotchi sit on the couch together, which inconveniently lies in full view of the front door. The former is a balding man in his late forties with wire-frame glasses, while the latter has long, very light brown hair and is roughly the same age.

"H-hey, guys," Hideo stutters, tensing up as he realizes he has no choice but to face them head-on.

"How was it at your friend's house?" His mom asks, a calm smile on her face. "What was his name again…? Chanum, right?"

"Y-yeah, that's it. It was cool, we, uh… we played video games and ate...food. Yeah, you know, boy stuff."

Hideo's dad perks up a little. "Oh, so you already ate? We made dinner if you want…" He begins to stand up.

"N-no! I mean, no thanks." Hideo waves a hand as his dad rises. "I'm full already, a-and you know, actually, I'm exhausted, I think I'm going to go to sleep."

His parents exchange a brief glance before turning to him. Mrs. Kotchi gives Hideo a hesitant look. "It's only eight o' clock… have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Oh... oh yeah, plenty. I ah… I dunno, I'm just feeling tired, ya know?"

"Alright, well… goodnight, Hideo..." Mrs. Kotchi says as she leans back on the couch.

As Hideo climbs the stairs leading to his room, he hears his dad say something along the lines of, "Well, he's a growing boy, after all..."

Hideo furrows his brow and shakes his head, mumbling under his breath, "Growing boy? More like savior of the planet, amiright?" He freezes when he spots his younger brother standing in the doorframe. "H-Hayato?! Wh-what're you doing in my room? Get out!"

Hayato gives him a skeptical glare. "...I was looking for your phone charger."

"Well it's my phone charger, and _I_ need it," Hideo grumbles, pushing past his brother into his room. "Now scram."

Hayato smirks and begins to back down the staircase. "Whatever you say, Mr. 'Savior of the Planet'." Hideo flinches. "Is that some anime thing, Hideo?"

"I-it's… shut up!" Slamming the door, Hideo huffs and sits on his bed.

Suddenly something clicks, and Hideo realizes the reality of his situation. He throws both fists victoriously in the air, completely forgetting his proximity to his family as he cheers, "Miho's a Persona user!"


	10. Revenge of the Lunch at Georgie's

4/17, Tuesday

Biff's eyes snap open, and he finds himself once more standing upright by the light of a rapidly flickering bonfire. The velvet floor underfoot stretches its deep blue hue in all directions, fading eventually into the darkness beyond a dense treeline. Before him, the long-nosed master of the Velvet Room, Igor, silently sits with bridged hands, his assistant standing next to him.

For once, Igor forgoes the usual 'Welcome to the Velvet Room', opting instead to bask in the eerie silence, only broken by the crackling of flame. In this silence, it suddenly comes to Biff's attention that a terrible aura of foreboding seems to have permeated the Velvet Room, leaving everyone in attendance on edge.

Without waiting for a cue from her master, Safie stretches her hefty tome towards Biff, opening it with one hand and summoning the image of a Tarot card. Unlike previous incarnations, though, the light exuded from this hologram is a sickly crimson hue rather than gentle blue, and while Biff, unfamiliar with the Tarot, wouldn't realize, it's upside down. If viewing the holographic card right side up, one would see a depiction of a crescent moon with a human face on its side. Below it, several drawings of varied animals howl upwards, their eyes on the moon. Due to the card being flipped, these facts are reversed, causing the animals to be on top, howling down at the moon.

Safie finally shatters the silence, speaking very hesitantly. "Uh… through your… mutual ' _connection'_ with the student named Boto, you um… have taken another step towards the realization of your destiny..." Clearly not sure whether she should really be sticking to the script here, Safie glances towards her master, looking for some sort of interjection-she doesn't get anything of the sort.

Biff takes this opportunity to interrupt, not much caring about his insubordination. "My connection?!" He scoffs, casting a hand to his side and stepping forward. "You call that shit show yesterday a connection?" After Boto asserted that he'd keep toying with Biff and his friends for fun at the risk of destroying the world, Biff can't help but get more than a bit heated when Safie puts it so casually.

Safie goes wide-eyed and turns back to Biff, still holding out the giant book and its Tarot card projection. "I-I... wait… um… connection is a… uh… very vague term." Biff relaxes a bit as Safie continues talking. After struggling initially, she seems to have figured out what she was trying to say, yet is very clearly trying to calm Biff down before he gets angrier. "Y-your bonds aren't as simple as just the people you like-they're your connections to everyone around you. While not all bonds are meaningful, those that hold a central place in your heart serve to fuel the flame of your passion, no matter how they manifest. Um… whether you like it or not, your rivalry with Boto will prove to be integral to the development of your heart." As she finishes the explanation, the slowly rotating tarot card begins to spin faster and faster before suddenly flying off into the bonfire, leaving a trail of slowly dissipating red energy. The card burns up upon impact with the fire and immediately explodes, infusing the orange flames with a burst of crimson, briefly causing the bonfire to grow much taller before dying back down to orange.

Though it's a bit petty, Biff feels an odd resentment at the idea of Boto inhabiting the flame of his heart. Or something like that. He's still not completely clear on how the bonfire thing works.

"So…" Biff starts, feeling his fists clench up by his sides. "I have no choice but to accept strength from my... _bond_ with Boto?" He puts heavy sarcastic emphasis on 'bond'. "The special place in my heart for Boto will become my power or something? That's stupid. I don't want a handout from Boto; I want to kick his ass on my own."

"Uh…" Safie responds delicately, looking really uncomfortable, like dealing with Biff's attitude wasn't part of her job description. "I would recommend not thinking of it that way, but rather considering it as… harnessing your rage to put 'power behind your punches' so to speak."

"Nope," Biff states. "Not 'to speak'. I will literally be punchin' him. A lot."

"Y-you what…? Um… Mr. Chanum, you can't just… attack Boto." Though she knows it's not her place to interfere with a guest's decisions, Safie feels it would be more than a bit anticlimactic-and destructive for the world's future-if this Wild Card were arrested for assault.

Biff scowls and casts his gaze away. "I know, I just…" He sighs. "Damnit, I don't know what I'll do."

"A-and that's fine as well. You have a long journey ahead of you-the time for an answer will come eventually."

As silence fills in the gap after Biff and Safie's exchange, Igor speaks up, his creaky, wisened voice ringing astoundingly loud for a man of his apparent age. "So the encroaching darkness has finally arrived. That certainly makes things more… complicated. Hee hee…" Igor's wheezy laugh seems oddly out of place to Biff when discussing Boto, but he tries not to read too much into it.

Biff remains quiet for a moment longer before suddenly tensing up, the cogs in his brain turning. "Wait a minute… you knew about Boto, didn't you? You Velvet Room folks clearly know a whole lot more than you tell me-why the hell didn't you fill me in?"

Igor rests his nose atop his bridged hands, his wide smile shrinking to a neutral expression. "As I've told you before, Mr. Chanum, it is not our place to interfere directly in your destiny. Our role is simply to…"

"I know, I know-'To guide me in the development of my heart.' You've said it about a dozen times." Biff pauses, scowling. "Ya know, I'm gettin' real sick and tired of this vague mystical bullshit."

"It has been an exhausting day for you, hasn't it, Mr. Chanum? Hopefully, in the future, you will be able to understand the limitations of our intervention."

Biff lets out a deep breath yet doesn't say anything in response. Yeah, Igor's definitely right-it has been a long day. And spending the evening in the Velvet Room rather than getting a full night's sleep isn't going to help Biff get any less tired and irritable.

Igor speaks up once again, still maintaining his pondering position yet speaking with less professionalism and more casual address. "Time runs out on us; a new day dawns. But, before I bid you farewell, I believe there was something Safie wished to ask you."

Biff eases up a bit, not expecting Igor's change in tone. He turns towards Safie to see her give Igor a briefly startled look before composing herself and turning towards Biff, seemingly awaiting an address from the guest. "Uh… go ahead?" He says.

In contrast to Igor's lax in formality, Safie speaks awkwardly and professionally, her cheeks turning slightly red as she does so. "I… ah… have observed your world for some time now as an outsider looking in, but… um, if it's alright with you I would like to see it with my own eyes. In the past, one of my sisters took such… 'excursions' with the Wild Card she attended to, relying on him as a guide for the real world. Even though I was a child at the time, her stories of the sounds and smells and tastes of your world seemed so fantastical compared to the… uniformity of the Velvet Room."

Igor seems to offer no response to her assertion, but Biff can't help but find it a bit ironic for Safie to describe such a dream-like landscape as 'uniform'.

"May you possibly, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, allow me to experience your world for myself?"

Biff cocks his head slightly to the side, not understanding why she didn't just directly ask the question. "So you want to hang out? Sure." It seems very weird for an inhabitant of the Velvet Room to invite him to pal around, but considering how earnest Safie seems to be on the subject, Biff decides not to say anything.

"O-oh, um… alright. But while we're on the subject… I also would like to meet your fellow Persona users. I… uh… feel it would be beneficial for the fulfillment of my duty if I could witness your bonds for mys-"

Interrupting her, Biff cuts to the chase again. "That's fine, too. I doubt Hidi and Marquis'd mind. Oh, yeah, and Miho now... I think. When were you thinkin'?"

"I…" Safie trails off. It would appear she hadn't thought that far ahead. "...will come to you when the time is right."

"Wait, that's not how hangi-"

Igor interrupts Biff once again. "Dawn has broken, and our time has come to a close. Until we meet again."

"What? No, hold on I-"

And Biff feels his eyes slowly opening. "Damnit," He mutters, rolling out of bed.

Biff and Hanae trudge to school side-by-side, the former still feeling a bit of residual saltiness after his Velvet Room encounter. It's a particularly dreary day-very overcast with trickles of rain. It's not enough to be troublesome or miserable, but is, in fact, the perfect intensity to be mildly annoying.

Though Hanae being silent is nothing unusual, Biff can't help but notice how fidgety and anxious she looks, as though she has something she wants to say but is reluctant to do so. "You look like you wanna talk," Biff says bleakly without turning his head. Realizing how irritable he sounds, he puts up an attempt at a kind smile before continuing. "What's up? No need to be afraid."

Hanae tenses up for a moment before cautiously responding. "I uh… was just wondering where we… um… and your friends were going to…" There's a really long pause as she searches for a suitable word. "...hang out…?"

Biff turns away from Hanae in an attempt to hide his surprise. _Damnit, I forgot about that. Uh…_ Grinning nonchalantly, Biff addresses Hanae once more. "Oh yeah, you've heard of Georgie's, right? I'm thinkin' we ought to head there today after school, is that cool with you?"

Hanae gives a slightly pleased smile as she tries to respond coolly. "That's fine. Though I never get much of a chance to eat there since Mom cooks so often, I really like their salads."

"Salads?!" Biff cries with a bit more bravado than is necessary. "Their burgers are where it's at! It's an American-style burger joint, after all-you're missin' out."

Hanae goes wide-eyed in surprise, the rise in voice catching her off guard. "B-but… I'm a vegetarian… I…"

 _Shit, I forgot about that, too_. Biff scolds himself internally, gritting his teeth. "Oh yeah… uh, sorry about that. Salads are… um… fine too."

Sending a dubious glance Biff's way, Hanae slightly changes the subject. "And both of them said they'd be there?"

"..." Biff hesitates for a moment, reflecting only momentarily on the fact that he never mentioned any of this to any of his friends.

Thinking Biff doesn't understand what she meant, Hanae clarifies. "That Hideo boy and, um, Marquis?"

"Oh, uh, I know. Sorry about that-lost my train of thought. Yeah, they said they'd love to meet you. Just find us at the entrance after school."

"No, Hidi, you don't get it. I'm _making_ you come along." Biff knits his brow as he stares menacingly at Hideo, assuming a broad-chested stance of intimidation.

"B-but I have to work today after school. I already asked my boss for the last couple days off so we could fight the Shadow King…" Hideo takes a step back, clearly feeling the effects of Biff's pose.

"Then call in sick or somethin', I'm classifying this as official MIFAS business. You have to attend out of obligation or you risk losing your rank-the title of my second-hand man will be given to Miho."

"But I thought _I_ was your second-hand man!" Marquis whines from the side, stomping on the floor and balling up her fists.

"You're a woman," Biff retorts casually before turning back to Hideo. "Marquis is going to Georgie's, come on."

"Oh, yeah…" Marquis' defiant stance laxes. "Wait! Why can Miho be a second-hand man and I can't?!"

Biff shrugs.

"Ok, ok, I'll go." Hideo drops his arms to the side and lowers his head in defeat." But if my boss breaks my legs or something because I canceled then you're footing the medical bill."

"I'll just put you out of your misery, then."

"Wait, what?"

Before Biff can elaborate, the door to the class slams open, and a dozen cheerful greetings-all variations of 'Miho!', 'Good morning, Miho!', or 'Hey, Miho!'-ring out. The three members of MIFAS all turn in sync to catch the sight of Miho Fuiji walking in and merrily greeting her circle of followers as well as anyone else who hails her.

"Mornin', Ali!" Miho says to one girl in particular. "How'd it go with the, ah, confronting your ex?"

"Oh, Daishi?" The girl responds, her thin veil of casualness barely covering how excited she appears to be upon being addressed by Miho. "We ended up getting back together."

"O-oh, is that so?" Though Miho can't say she's surprised, she's taken a bit off guard at how fast they ended up reconciling this time around. Instantly replacing her shock with a reassuring yet concerned smile, Miho places a hand on the girl's arm. "Well, if any-" Miho falters for a minute as she starts to encourage Ali getting back together with her cheating ex. The highly emotional events of yesterday all come back at once, and she decides to answer a bit more directly. "No… no that won't do. You're a good girl, Ali. What is this? The third time he cheated on you? You don't deserve that treatment. If you need a guy, find one that won't treat you like garbage. I know you can do a hell of a lot better."

A wave of awestruck silence passes through Miho's circle of friends before the girl, Ali, recovers from her astonishment and responds. "Y-you… I… you really think so?"

Miho nods, removing her hand. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. Don't let yourself get hurt again."

Ali's form shrinks a bit and she sits down on top of a desk, clearly thinking back through the whole situation. Everyone else begins praising Miho for how 'genuine she is' or how 'she's so smart', and as usual, Miho tunes the praise out. That is until one guy around her says something that stands out. "Ya know, Miho, you seem… I dunno… lighter than usual, if that makes sense." Miho gives the boy a quizzical look, prompting a hasty anxious response. "N-not that you aren't light usually, I just-"

"No, you're fine, Hiroji. Sorry for staring, got lost in thought for a second. I guess I must just be in a good mood today." Miho gives her trademark smile-slightly awkward in a relatable way with a whole lot of heartfelt caring, but this time, it's genuine. The boy instantaneously turns a shade of red most similar to a beet.

Biff, Hideo, and Marquis watch the exchange from their post at the back of the room. "That's our Miho," Biff quips, stretching his arms. "Right back to it without even missin' a beat."

"She's so incredible…" Hideo mutters unconsciously, albeit loud enough that Biff and Marquis can hear, prompting them to both give him skeptical glances.

"Keep your lovestruck rambling to yourself, Hideo," Biff says with a contemptible glare.

Marquis simply mumbles, "Ew…"

"Wh-what?" Hideo stutters, waving his hands in front of himself. "I-I meant since she's up and at it after awakening her Persona. Th-that takes a lot out of you, ya know?"

"Mhm," Biff retorts dismissively, turning away to see Miho herself walking towards them. With a sudden change in tone, Biff greets her enthusiastically. "There's our girl!" As he says this, he can't help but notice almost everyone in class 2-F casting side-eyed looks towards him and his friends, seemingly shocked-and slightly jealous-that 'The Miho Fuiji' would rather talk to the weird transfer students.

As Miho approaches the trio, she maintains her trademark smile up to the point that her back is facing the rest of the class' prying eyes. Her smile drops an in instant, replaced by an exhausted grimace, and Miho raises a hand to rub against her temple. "Hey guys," She mutters, speaking softly to attempt some privacy while the entire class is intently listening in on their conversation.

"I almost forgot you're the idol of our entire school," Biff quips, the silent onlookers making him feel more than a bit uncomfortable. "Almost." He doesn't bother to lower his voice.

Never much of one to pick up on context clues or exercise subtlety, Marquis blithely jumps up and does a little hop-step to approach Miho. "Hey there, sport! How're you feeling after yesterday's… eheh… excursion?" She asks, slapping Miho on the back in an attempt to be playful. Rather than actually coming across as playful, though, she ends up seriously misjudging her swing and hitting Miho hard enough to stagger her and make a very loud 'clap!' noise. "O-oh, geez, sorry. Guess I don't know my own strength."

The classroom immediately bursts into hushed whispers of '...excursion?' and 'Did she just say…?"

"Shit, Marquis," Biff mumbles.

Opting not to make a big deal of it, Miho catches herself in her stagger and stands back up straight, "You… you're fine. But thanks, I'm… uh…" She lowers her voice even further, casting her eyes off to the side. "I'm doing better than yesterday, that's for sure."

"Well, you're doing a good enough job at hiding the exhaustion-Marquis here passed out for the entire day after fighting her Shadow. You're back to your charming self as far as I-and anyone else-could tell." Biff nods towards Miho's circle of friends, making eye contact with a particularly envious-looking boy who averts his gaze as soon as they meet.

"That's… not what I meant." Miho's voice sounds totally and utterly drained as she whispers. She runs a hand along her ponytail, drawing it to the forefront of her body. "I meant more along the lines of... ah… emotional exhaustion."

Hideo, who has been quiet up to this point trying to figure out how to introduce himself into the conversation (talking to Miho here at school makes him feel a hell of a lot more anxious than in the Dreamlands for some reason), speaks up. "I feel you." Suddenly realizing that saying only that is really awkward, Hideo tries to play it off, attempting to act casual by running a hand through his hair and leaning back on the desk he's sitting on.

While it doesn't work to make him look casual, it is successful in lightening Miho's mood. Noticing his graceless mannerisms, Miho can't help but crack a smile and shake her head. "What're ya doing there, Hidi?" She asks, feeling it's an appropriate time to use Biff and Marquis' nickname for him.

Biff glances back at Hideo once more, giving him a disappointed glare before turning away. "He's tryin' to act cool."

"Wh-wha-?" Hideo cries, scrambling to his feet. "You...I-I'm not trying to be cool!"

Feeling a bit sassy, Marquis stomps a foot and attempts to posture up against Biff. "Yeah! He IS being cool!"

Biff and Hideo both go silent and stare at Marquis. "Uh… thanks?" Hideo says hesitantly, pushed even further off guard.

"Shut up, Hidiot," She replies instantly, eliciting another giggle from Miho.

Hideo pauses for a moment before deciding to change the subject. "...Hey, Biff. Why don't we invite Miho to Georgie's? You think Hanae would mind?"

"Great idea, Hidi." Biff turns to Miho and gives her an expectant look. "Well, how about it? My uh… well… the daughter of the people I'm stayin' with really wanted to hang out with the three of us, and I'm sure she'd be more than happy if you showed up. What do ya say? Up for…" Biff turns and faces the camera. "...Lunch at Georgie's?"

"Ah! Damn," Miho swears under her breath before giving an uneasy-though attempting at reassuring-smile. "I love that place, but I, uh… can't make it." She hesitates, unsure whether to explain herself further. Miho steps closer to the group and lowers her voice to a barely audible whisper, very much not wanting anyone in the class to hear what she has to say next. "After fighting my Shadow yesterday, I… decided I should actually make an effort to grow closer to my... friends. So after I wrap up some student council work, I'm going out with some girls to go do… something. They didn't exactly tell me what." Miho rubs her eyes with both fists, trying to rid herself of the exhaustion clinging to her lids. "Eheh… I'm just a bundle of sunshine today, aren't I."

"Ah, you're fine," Biff says casually with a wave of his hand. "Just don't push yourself too hard, alright?"

"Yeah, Miho," Marquis chimes in. "Don't pass out. Actually, wait." She stoops over and begins rummaging through her tote bag, eventually coming out with an energy drink in hand-evidently, a relic left over from the other day's binge. "Here, I found this tucked away in a side pocket last night, it'll keep you up for, like, ever and it also tastes really good and also I love them."

Miho takes the drink and knits her brow looking at the health facts. "...Monster Bull… Three hundred milligrams of caffeine per serving? And there are two servings per can? How can you even drink this without going into convulsions?" She hands the can back to Marquis, evidently disgusted.

Marquis looks down at her treasure and frowns. "But… it tastes good."

Hideo makes a choking noise as Miho reads the health content. "Three hundred milligrams? And didn't you drink a twenty-four pack?"

"...What...?" Miho's jaw drops as she runs the numbers. "That's… fourteen thousand four hundred milligrams... Marquis, that much caffeine should have killed you. How are you not dead?"

"No, don't worry," Marquis says dismissively. "I only drank twenty-three of them. This one's the long-lost twenty-fourth." A briefly conflicted look passes across her face. "And it's been a couple days so I'm good to go." In one swift motion, she cracks the can open and begins chugging.

Miho and Hideo exchange a horrified look before turning to Biff, clearly expecting him to say something. Biff just shrugs. "Maybe Shadows metabolize differently?" He says.

Marquis chokes on her Monster Bull and looks like she wants to say something. While still in the process of chugging, she seems to muse on the notion of her being a Shadow, but instantly forgets when a rush of energy spikes through her body and she shudders, her eyes taking on a slightly dull tone as she loses focus. She appears to be in this trance for only a matter of seconds before she jostles out and the luster returns to her eyes.

"Great," Hideo mutters. "Now she won't shut up all day long."

Miho narrows her eyes and looks at Biff, her lips pursed. "A… Shadow. Is she…?"

"Probably," Biff responds casually, glancing at the oblivious Marquis before back to Miho. "She doesn't remember anything beyond wakin' up in the Dreamlands a few weeks back, and based on the whole yellow eye thing, Shadow seems to be the best guess."

"Geez…" Miho mumbles. "She's completely amnesiac?"

"Ol' Marquis here's had it a lot tougher than she'd let you believe."

Miho suddenly feels quite a bit worse about that time she confronted Marquis on the school roof.

After Marquis drains the Monster Bull in one go and raises it overhead with a cheer that sounds more on the edge of a battle roar than anything, Miho decides to finish what she was going to say earlier. "But anyways," She begins, shifting her dubious expression away from Marquis. "I still very much want to talk to you all; there's... a lot we need to go over. Are you all willing and able to come to my house Saturday after school? I shouldn't have anything going on, and I have no doubt I'll be fully recovered."

Hideo immediately goes bright red and begins to stutter an answer. "Y-you- I…"

In an act of mercy, Biff cuts in, speaking as casually as ever. "Yeah, that works for me and Hideo. Marquis?" Hideo simply nods behind Biff.

"Saturday? Well I'd have to clear my busy knife-polishing schedule, but I th-"

"Ooh, we having a Persona party? Am I invited?" A particularly snide-yet familiar-voice rings out from Biff's side, prompting him to immediately whirl around and face the addressor as soon as he recognizes his voice. The eyepatch-clad smirking face he meets instantaneously fills Biff with a flood of bitter anger.

"Boto…" Biff growls, his hands clenching into fists.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Boto says, his grin growing even further.

"What do you want?" Miho asks, feigning as much of her typical kindness as possible, though a particularly in tune viewer could easily spot the menacing intonations.

"Ah, I'm just visiting to make sure you all haven't forgotten I exist." Boto's voice drops to a harsh whisper. "And to make sure you never forget that I'm always watching, that I'm always right behind you, and that I will always… _always_ be top dog. Hee hee… Remember that time I kicked your asses?"

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face, you son of a bitch," Biff says in that same low growl, ignoring Boto's attempt to psyche them out. "Why I ought to-"

Boto cuts in mid-sentence. "Ought to what? Punch me? Kill me? Come on, Biff; you aren't gonna do anything. Resisting me is hopeless-but that's what makes the game fun."

Hideo glances towards Marquis and sees how suddenly uncomfortable she's gotten-more specifically, her body language clearly shies away from Boto and there's an expression of mild fear across her face, only thinly veiled by false bravado. "Why you-" Hideo starts before catching himself and lowering his voice. "You… just quit it, Boto. Ok? Your damn game's enough to make us miserable, but leave us alone otherwise. Please, I… damnit, just stop."

Boto pretends to think on the subject for a moment. "Hmm… no." His lips curl up into a despicable sneer once more. "Because that right there is exactly what I want. You can feel it, can't you, _Hidi_? The fear of what's to come? The anger and annoyance and pain of me making your every waking moment miserable? Well, that's just music to my ears-and it means I'm winning the game."

Biff's fingernails dig into his palms as the rage begins to make his head feel hotter and hotter. It's taking every shred of his willpower to avoid punching Boto in the head right here and now. "I swear on my life, Boto… One of these days I'm go-"

Relishing how easy it is to infuriate Biff, Boto interrupts him again. "Yeah, yeah, kill me or something. You've been very adamant on that." Boto turns around towards the exit, waving a hand over his shoulder. "You should really seek anger management… heh, maybe it'll work this time."

Biff takes an impulsive step towards Boto but is stopped by Miho stretching her arm out and catching him across the chest.

"Well, ta-ta," Boto says indifferently, making his way towards the classroom door. "I've said all I need to and perhaps a bit too much. You lot have fun… if you can." As he makes his way past the students in class 2-F, many of them greet him or give him hi-fives.

"Hey, Boto!"

"Boto! My man!"

It would appear no one's paid enough attention to notice the violent undertones of the Persona-users' conversation.

Creeping out of her self-imposed shell, Marquis approaches Biff from behind. "Biff…" He turns around to face her, his teeth gritted and unrequited fury in his eyes. "We'll get him eventually. We just need to… to keep fighting..." She sounds like she's trying to convince herself as much as she is Biff.

Biff silently walks past her, Miho, and Hideo, and sits at his desk. He remains silent for another moment, his fists trembling violently before he places his palms flat against the desk to try and get the shakes to subside. "I know," He says finally, his voice never shifting from a barely contained growl.

Eventually, school ends for the day and the flood of students begins spilling into the hallway. The three members of MIFAS say goodbye to Miho and follow the wave out. Biff's anger from before has all but subsided since he had a chance to cool off, and he does his best to push off what little bit remains so as to not spoil the day for Hanae.

Chatting idly, the trio makes their way down the stairs to the first floor and immediately spots Hanae looking particularly meek sitting alone on a bench by the exit.

"Hanae!" Marquis cries despite never meeting the girl before. A couple of nearby students give Marquis annoyed looks either due to her loud shout or the twintails smacking into them (or both) as she rushes towards Hanae. "Hello! I am Marquis!" She says with a grandiose gesture, towering high above the timid girl. "Welcome… to meeting me!"

While Biff had described Marquis as 'excitable', Hanae wasn't expecting someone so… odd. And considering that on top of the single glowing yellow eye, Hanae is left rather stunned as she fails to come up with a way to react.

"Is that 'welcome to' thing how you greet every new person?" Hideo says with a sigh, approaching Marquis and Hanae from behind.

"Nah, I didn't do it to Miho since she was too busy yelling at me."

Hideo sighs again and leans around Marquis to look at Hanae, conjuring up a toothy-yet awkward-smile. "Hey there, Hanae. Hope Marquis didn't spook you too bad. She has a habit of doing that." Hideo punches Marquis in the shoulder, eliciting an 'ow' from the latter.

Hanae turns her head to Hideo and stares blankly for a second before blinking hard and recovering. "H-hello, Hideo. Thank you, I'm fine…"

Biff approaches as well, shaking his head as he walks up to Hanae. She looks visibly happy to see him and eases up significantly on the tension. "Howdy, Hanae. You ready to take off?"

Hanae silently nods and rises as the group makes their way toward the exit. The four of them talk amongst themselves as they head to Georgie's, Hanae speaking almost exclusively when spoken to.

"So, Hanae," Hideo begins, his hands in his pockets as he struts in line with the three others. "What do you like to do for fun?" A response is delayed slightly as the group gets separated while maneuvering around the crowd of students gathered at the foot of the school's hill.

"I mostly like to read," Hanae states plainly once they're all reconvened.

"That's so cool!" Marquis cheers, pushing Hideo out of the way and securing the position next to Hanae. Hanae goes briefly on guard, thinking that Marquis is making fun of her by reacting so enthusiastically, though the look of awe on her face says otherwise.

"Th-thanks?"

Idly swinging a twintail in her hands like a flail, Marquis continues. "Man, I've never read a book before. I love watching movies, though."

"Y-you've never read a book in your life?" Hanae is extremely unsure what to make of Marquis at this point, as everything she says seems to have some double connotation-it's proving to be exceedingly difficult to tell whether she's mocking her or is just plain scatterbrained.

Hanae suddenly flinches as Biff gently nudges her on the shoulder. "Ah, don't worry about her-she's harmless."

"Nope! Never!" Marquis says proudly in response to Hanae, pointing to herself with her thumb.

"Can you even read?" Hideo asks rather bluntly but with genuine curiosity.

"Of course I _can_ read! It'd be depressing if I couldn't." Marquis turns to Hanae and gives her an expectant look, as though she thought she'd back her up on this.

Hanae nods hesitantly and then blushes a bit, suddenly becoming aware of how woefully unprepared she is to carry on conversations. "So… uh," She starts after a moment. "You've actually never… immersed yourself in a book?"

Marquis internally debates as to whether or not she should take up reading as a hobby. Eventually, she comes to the conclusion that sitting around and reading a book isn't nearly as thrilling as killing stuff in real life, and why should she read books when she can get her entertainment delivered via TV. "I lead a fairly action-packed life if I do say so myself-so not really."

"Oh…" Hanae trails off.

"Hey Hanae," Marquis picks up again. "You ever play with a knife before?"

"MARQUIS!" Hideo cries.

"What?!"

"Biff specifically told you to keep the knives away." He leans his head around Marquis and Hanae to catch sight of Biff. "Are you just going to let- hey, where'd Biff go?" Seeing that they've lost Biff from their formation, Hideo stops and turns in a circle, spotting Biff about ten meters back, staring blankly at mid-air.

"Ah, don't worry about her-she's harmless," Biff says, nudging Hanae and chuckling. He lets the conversation continue for another moment and is about to make fun of Marquis for never reading when he notices a door-sized rectangle of pure blue energy just sitting along the side of the street.

"The hell…?" Biff murmurs, stopping and facing it. He looks around himself and sees that none of the other students seem to notice the oddity. As he continues to stare at rectangle's sapphire hue, an inexplicable urge to enter it washes over his body. While it's nothing overwhelming, like the rifts leading to the Dreamlands, the sensation is more than enough to pique his interest.

"Well, the last time a shimmerin' portal urged me to walk into it pretty cool stuff happened. How bad can it be?" With a shrug, Biff strolls headfirst into the blue rectangle, not even considering the fact that he probably ought to bring it up to his friends.

Biff's senses are immediately overwhelmed by bright white light and a slight feeling of weightlessness. Though the blinding glow remains, the weightless sensation is quickly replaced by an even odder one. For a brief second, it feels as though he straddles the line between sleeping and waking-you know, like the moment when you're just barely about to fall asleep, but you linger in an intermediary state of semi-consciousness. As suddenly as it started, this sensation gives way as well and dissipates as Biff comes back to his senses… in the Velvet Room.

"Hello," Says the familiar voice of Safie as soon as Biff becomes aware of his surroundings.

Biff remains silent for a moment as he turns in a circle to examine the Velvet Room and its endlessly dark forest. While he finds it certainly unnerving that he's been summoned here while fully conscious and in the middle of the day, what's even odder is the fact that Igor seems to be missing. The only silhouette in front of the raging bonfire is that of Safie, standing upright next to her master's now empty seat.

"What the hell… why am I here?" Biff asks, letting none of the uncertainty he feels creep into his voice. "And where's the old man?"

Safie lowers her head and clutches her unwieldy tome to her chest. "Igor isn't here, it's only me for the moment."

Biff looks around the Velvet Room once more. "Not here? The hell's that supposed to mean? There's not exactly a bathroom or anything 'round here."

Deciding not to elaborate more, Safie cuts to the point. "I've summoned you here myself because I ah…" She pauses mid-sentence. "... I think it's the ideal time for me to accompany you. I just need to prepare myself then I'll meet you in your world."

Biff goes wide-eyed and raises both hands, his palms facing her. "Hol' up, hol' up. What? I'm kinda in the middle of something. Me and my buddies were takin' Hanae to Georgie's."

Despite most of her face being completely silhouetted by the fire, Biff can see Safie's cheeks go bright red. Her professional posture recedes inward slightly as she tries to figure out what to say. "But… I ah…" It would appear Safie came terribly unprepared for this response and is suddenly very conscious of how awkward it is to have summoned Biff to the Velvet Room in that case. "...Please excuse my impertinence." Trying to salvage any reputation she can, Safie gives a short bow and begins speaking very hastily. "It was not my place to have imposed myself in such a manner and I… uh… I was very out of line."

Seeing the normally competent Safie suddenly get so embarrassed, Biff's heart melts, and he decides to take pity on her. "Well… the more the merrier, right?"

"Huh?" Safie murmurs, looking up at Biff from the down position of her second bow.

"Screw it, you can come along," Biff says with an attempt at a reassuring smile. "Hideo and Marquis love new people, and, uh… I'm sure Hanae would like to meet you, too.." Biff kicks himself internally, unable to shake the feeling that this'll lead to a really, really awkward conversation. "I just hope they don't think too much about me pullin' a girl out of thin air."

Safie briefly gives Biff a dubious look as though to ask 'are you sure?' Evidently deciding not to actually push her luck, a slight smile pulls on Safie's lips, revealing the subtle joy which she desperately tries to hide. "Thank you, Wild Card. I ah… will meet you at Georgie's; I still need to prepare myself, so you don't need to worry about me appearing out of nowhere."

"Alright…" Biff says hesitantly. "And please, _please_ call me Biff rather than 'Wild Card.'

"As you wish, uh… _Biff_." Safie puts an odd emphasis on Biff, looking a little uncomfortable with calling her guest by their first name. Setting her tome down on the table Igor generally sits at, Safie habitually plays with her one long silver braid as she bids Biff farewell. "I will see you shortly. As my master would say, 'Until we meet again'."

Suddenly it dawns on Biff that if Safie isn't coming with him immediately, he'll still be materializing out of thin air upon exiting the Velvet Room. "Wait, hold on, I-" But it's too late for him to ask any questions, and as blinding light fills his vision, he feels himself first begin to lose consciousness, then quickly regain it back in the real world, and the first thing he hears is:

"BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIF"

Biff immediately steps back in surprise when he comes to his senses and finds Marquis right up in his face and shouting at him. Apparently, Hideo was behind him, and in stepping backward, Biff's head collides forcefully with Hideo's. Used to taking blows, Biff barely flinches beyond rubbing the back of his skull. Hideo doesn't fare as well, letting out a cry of pain and gripping his forehead.

"He's alive!" Marquis cheers. "We did it!"

Hideo would probably insult Marquis' blithe comment if he weren't completely disoriented and wallowing in his own pain.

Without offering Biff a chance to respond, Marquis steps forward, reaches up, and grabs him by the shoulders, trying her hardest to earnestly look him in the eyes. "Biff," She asserts. "Can you tell me your name? Is your brain broken?"

"Wha-?" Biff grunts, still confused by the flurry of events.

"I've got bad news, Hidi," Marquis says solemnly, lowering her head. "He's gone brain-dead."  
"Wh-what?" Hanae cries from Biff's side. "He's not brain-dead…"

"I'm the doctor here and I say he's brain-dead," Marquis declares, placing her hands on her hips and turning to Hanae.

Having recovered, Hideo-still rubbing his bruising forehead-walks around Biff and pushes Marquis away. "Get out of the way. That joke was stupid." Despite Hideo only giving a light shove with his shoulder, Marquis exaggerates the impact and throws herself to the ground. Hideo sighs and looks back at Biff. "Biff? You ok, man? You were just staring off into space for, like, a full minute-and you didn't respond at all when we tried to break you out. We… uh, were kinda worried." In saying so, Hideo glances briefly at Hanae, who looks undeniably anxious.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Biff says, clapping the side of Hideo's shoulder before taking a half step back and running a hand through his hair. "I ah…" He briefly considers mentioning that Safie is going to be coming, but that would naturally lead to the questions of who she is, how they came to meet, and where she's from, and those are all questions Biff doesn't have a good answer to, especially considering Hanae's right here. So he decides to put it off. "...just am out of it, I guess. Y'know, we've had a pretty busy last couple of days." He gives Hideo a pointed look on that last line.

"O-oh!" Hideo's eyes widen as he stutters, trying to play off Biff's obvious reference to the Dreamlands. "Oh, yeah, that… uh… school work and stuff we did together… as a group…" He glances once more at Hanae, this time to check if she's buying it.

While Hanae does look a little confused, it doesn't appear as though she's going to ask any questions. Coming down from her anxiety over Biff's frozen state, she fiddles idly with her hands behind her back and waits for the group to take action.

Biff's teeth grind behind his nonchalant expression, and he silently vows to get revenge on Hideo for being such an ungraceful dumbass. "Well," He says, turning to Hanae with a short sigh. "Everything's all good. Wanna finally head to Georgie's?"

Eventually, amid the usual bickering of Hideo and Marquis, the group makes it to 'Georgie's American Style Burgers'.

"Hm…" Hideo mumbles, glancing from the unimposing, dark wood-framed shop to the exorbitant Big Bang Burger built right next to it. A long line stretches through the entirety of the neon-orange fast-food joint as countless people wait to get their processed burger. "It looks like no one's even paying attention to Georgie's what with the Big Bang Burger and all. I hope they stay in business…"

"It's all about advertising, Hidi!" Biff says with renewed bravado, pushing past his friend to reach the wood and glass door before holding it open for everyone else to enter. "As it is, this hidden lil' joint'll never draw in customers. I mean, just look at Big Bang Burger's cute burger mascot."

"...Thanks for the lesson in marketing…" Hideo mutters, uncertain how else to respond.

"I wish this place had a cute burger mascot," Marquis says with a pout as she strolls through the door. "Can we go to Big Bang Burger instead?"

"No," Biff responds immediately.

Everyone else enters Georgie's in turn and takes a short look around the mildly fanciful darkened establishment. The sound of clinking dishes and idle chat comes from a window to the kitchen which lies behind a diner-style bar to the right of the single dining room. A blonde, thirty-something American woman standing behind the bar-the same who waited on Biff and Hideo last time-greets them.

"Welcome!" She says with what sounds like very much feigned enthusiasm. Reaching into her black apron, she pulls out a small notepad and jots something down. "Can I get'cha a table for four?"

"Yes please," Hideo mutters without paying too much attention as he's currently taking in the oddly homely atmosphere that smells faintly of both grilled meat and lavender for some reason. Considering Biff's earlier comment about Georgie's not standing out, he can't help but notice the fact that only a few customers-all on the elderly side-litter the restaurant.

"Ah, actually, uh…" Biff stutters as Marquis, Hideo, and Hanae simultaneously turn to him as he objects to the table of four. "A, uh… table for five. We've got another comin'."

The woman nods and jots something else down. "Alright! Just follow me, please."

Hideo and Marquis exchange a confused glance before the former looks to Hanae and finds her to be just as befuddled.

"Uh… Biff?" Marquis says hesitantly. "Did Miho change her mind or something?"

"No, actually… you know, funny thing…" Biff gives a short chuckle as he turns to Hanae, trying to play it cool. "My other friend… ah, you don't know her… name's Safie, really nice girl. Uh… she found out we were going to Georgie's and… asked if she could go along."

Hideo dubiously raises an eyebrow. "And you're just now bringing this up?"

"I forgot, geez, cut me some slack." Addressing Hanae, Biff runs a hand through his hair and jostles it, attempting to look as nonchalant as possible. "Is that alright with you? I can text her to cancel if you don't feel comfortable." Since Biff can't actually text Safie, he is very much banking on Hanae to be cool with it.

Hanae looks a bit flustered to be put on the spot, but she nods after a moment of deliberation. "That's fine. What... is she like?"

While that's already a tough question to answer about anyone, Biff has an especially difficult time coming up with a response considering he has no idea whatsoever. "She's… very professional and uh… I already said nice, but nice."

Hanae considers this for a moment as well then nods.

"Here ya are," The blonde woman eventually says, gesturing to a round table for five as she places silverware in front of each of the seats. Biff loudly drags one of the chairs out and plops into it, accompanied by Hanae silently slipping into the seat to his right.

Marquis, who had previously been walking side-by-side with Hideo, spontaneously dashes ahead of him in an attempt to dive into the seat to the left of Biff. "Dibs on sitting next to Biff!"

Biff's hand immediately snaps over the seat, blocking Marquis from sitting, which she responds to with a distressed cry. "No no no," Biff says, scrunching up his brow. "Safie's coming and I'm not gonna make her sit next to some weirdo she doesn't know-like Hideo."

"Hey! I resent that…" Hideo grumbles, taking the seat to the right of Hanae.

"But… I…" Unable to come up with a valid protest, Marquis stomps her foot once in faux-anger, then continues stomping as she moves towards-and sits at-the seat to the right of Hideo. "Stupid Safie hogging the Biff seat and making me sit next to Hidiot," She mutters to herself.

"Y'know," Biff says loudly, grabbing the single laminated menu at the center of the table and leafing through it. "I can't tell you how much I've been cravin' some good ol' American food. It feels like it's been years."

Leaning his chin on his hand, Hideo responds placidly. "But we were here less than a week ago. And you kept complaining about how much you wanted to eat Japanese."

Biff squints his eyes slyly at Hideo. "It's been long enough for the cravings and homesickness to set in."

"Are you feeling particularly homesick, Biff?" Hanae asks from Biff's side, drawing everyone's attention. She visibly shrinks in posture when the whole table's eyes are on her.

"Mm… a little bit." Biff shifts in his seat. "Honestly, I don't really find myself feelin' too wispy over leaving my old town behind, surprisingly. Maybe I've just been so busy lately. Actually, one thing I do miss is speakin' English. It still feels weird to talk in you people's language all the time."

Marquis gets a sort of blank expression on her face and leans towards Hideo. "But… aren't we-"

Hideo puts a finger to his lips and hushes her. "SHHHHHHH." After drawing an irritated expression from Biff, he looks back up and tries to push the conversation forward. "Uh… well, did you not like your town or something? Now that I think of it, you've never told us much about America."

"Yeah!" Marquis chirps, placing her chin on both of her hands, her elbows propped against the table. "What's America like?"

"It's um… very free?" Biff says slowly, unsure of how to answer Marquis' odd question.

This seems to satisfy her, and she responds with an awed "Ah!"

"But no, Hidi, it's not that I didn't like my town, it's just… uh… I dunno how to put it, exactly. I guess I didn't have too much to tie myself there or anything?" Biff glances to his side towards Hanae. She appears to be very interested in the subject, a contemplative look on her face expressing that usual quiet intensity.

After making eye contact with Biff, she speaks up. "What is your town like? Is it anything like Mata?"

"Not really…" Biff starts, thinking how best to describe it. "It was smaller than Mata and wasn't exactly a suburb like it either. Somewhere in between that and rural. I know it's off topic, but you sayin' that just made me think, despite them being in totally different countries and everything, the people in Mata and where I'm from act pretty similar."

"How do you mean?" Hanae asks, cocking her head slightly to the side and sending her bow and ponytail jiggling.

"Well they've got their own ways of life and all, but there's still high school cliques, there's still bullying, there's still annoyin' fads that disappear as quickly as they show up, etcetera, etcetera. Ya get what I'm tryin' to say?"

Hanae nods yet doesn't say anything, as she has a bit of trouble coming up with a meaningful response, but as soon as she begins considering it the moment to respond has passed and she suddenly becomes conscious of her lack of social skills. And she decides to just stay quiet.

Hideo picks up where Hanae left off. "That's... an interesting way of looking at it. Uh, well, if you don't miss your town that much, were there at least any good friends you left behind?"

"Biff's friends…" Marquis mutters, losing focus and envisioning a whole gang of boys that look identical to Biff-shoulder-length blonde hair and a mean demeanor-standing in 'V' formation with their arms crossed. "Uwah!" Snapping out of it, she shakes her head and dismisses the image.

"Geez, Hidi." Biff raises an eyebrow as he leans back in his seat. "Asking the heartbreaking questions, eh?" He smirks devilishly. "Why? 'Fraid you've got some competition?"

"N-no, wha-"

"Not particularly," Biff interrupts without waiting for a further response. "My school was pretty medium sized, so it's not like there was a shortage of friends to make, I've just uh… never been too much of a people person. I never fit in with the geeky dweebs, and I had a tendency to piss off the high n' mighty popular kids more often than not. I did have a group of fellow… um… degenerates who I'd hang out with from time to time, but those guys could be serious dicks. I did have one good buddy, actually-this kid Eric. He was a snooty rich type, so if we hadn't known each other since elementary, I doubt we ever woulda talked. He's probably the only thing I really miss."

"Does he look just like you?" Marquis asks innocently.

"What?" Biff furrows his brow at her and places a hand on his forehead. "Nah, he, uh, was short and thin with a buzzcut. We were opposites in just about every way possible."

"Oh…" Looking undeniably disappointed, Marquis frowns and places her head sideways on the table.

Asking the questions once more, Hideo speaks up. "Well, how do you like Japan so far?"

"How do I like Japan...?" Biff muses. "Mata's got some pretty scenery and all, but it's a bit dreary sometimes. And everyone kinda just shambles about dead-eyed."

"Mata can be boring," Hanae concedes. "But at least it's close to Tokyo."

"Ah, boring's no problem," Hideo says with a smirk, crossing his arms. "We've been pretty good about keeping ourselves occupied."

"Hehe." Keeping her head parallel to the table, Marquis shifts her whole body to look at Hideo. "Yeah, Hidi. _Persona-_ lly I like it here."

Not understanding the conversation's double meaning, Hanae raises her hands in defense. "Um, I didn't mean to say I dislike Mata. I just… uh... " And she trails off.

Hideo begins laughing while trying to come up with a pun of his own. "Aheh… uh… I 'See'-ay-guh… heh... what you're saying. Uh… Cyäegha… I uh see what you're…" And he fails miserably.

"That sucked, Hidi." Marquis gives Hideo a clearly disappointed look, pouting her lips.

"I know… but I just thought it could maybe work…"

Biff scowls at Hideo and Marquis and continues the conversation, speaking loudly to draw their attention. "Well, Mata's not all bad. I mean, after all, I met you lot here."

Marquis finally sits up in her seat, looking genuinely happy to have Biff say something kind. "Biff…"

"And you guys're a helluva lot cooler than most people I know." He turns to his side. "And you too, Hanae."

Attempting to stammer a response but finding no effective words, Hanae goes slightly red.

"And Miho, too!" Marquis chirps.

"And Miho, too, lately."

"Oh, you guys know Miho?" Hanae asks.

"Yeah…" Rubbing the back of his neck, Biff tries to figure out a good way to put it. "We uh… recently became acquainted."

"I talked to her once," Hanae says gently. "She ah… had asked me some questions about you, Biff."

Biff immediately tenses up, his voice instinctively jumping to an intimidating low growl that makes Hanae jump. "What…?"

"Ah! She uh… she was asking me what kind of person you were and where you disappeared to every day..." Catching the intense stares of everyone at the table, she visibly retreats in on herself and gets much, much timider. "I… I ah… didn't really know, so I… uh, just said you were nice… This was last Saturday."

All three members of MIFAS exchange long, mildly awkward looks before Hideo attempts a tension-breaking chuckle and tries to dismiss the hostile atmosphere. "Sorry for the reaction, Hanae. Before we got buddy-buddy with Miho, she uh… was oddly suspicious of us for no good reason. Everything's fine now."

Biff sits back silently in his chair, attempting to hide the bitter anger he suddenly feels welling up. The fact that Miho would try and go through Hanae to get to them greatly miffs Biff in an oddly protective way. But then something clicks. Biff lets out a soft sigh and dismisses any irritation when he remembers that the puppetmaster Miho who cared about no one, who lacked any empathetic perspective, is no longer the Miho that they know. As the emotional events of yesterday come back to him, he feels much more at ease knowing exactly how she's changed.

Rolling with Hideo's tension relief, Marquis places her hands on the table and leans towards Hanae. "You saw her pink hair, right? You think it's dyed?"

Hanae opens up a bit more, clearly grateful that everyone isn't on edge anymore. "Uh, I don't think so. Her father has donated money to the school before and has his picture on the wall-he has pink hair as well."

"Huh…" Marquis leans back in her seat and goes limp, the idea of genetically pink hair scrambling her brain.

Desperately attempting to continue the conversation in the only way she knows how, Hanae says the first thing on her mind. "Ah, but she's very pretty, though."

Without a moment's hesitation-as though she were waiting for this-Marquis snaps upright. "Yes, Hideo thinks so as well."

A startled choking noise comes out of the off-guard Hideo as Biff releases a hearty laugh and all lingering tension dissipates in a moment. Even Hanae giggles a little seeing how bright red Hideo gets as he flails about, denying all accusations of having a crush. As Hideo and Marquis break out into bickers, the blonde-haired waitress shows up and begins taking orders.

"Heya, I'm Georgie, I'll be takin' y'all's orders," She says, precariously balancing several dishes on a waiting tray while simultaneously using it as a platform to write orders on.

" _The_ Georgie?" Biff asks with a grin, handing the sole menu around the table to his right.

"Aheh." Georgie gives a short, airy chuckle. "Yeah, I'm the owner. Ya know, it's not too often I get fellow Americans 'round here."

"Well, the name's Biff Chanum. A born and raised American," Biff says, offering a handshake to Georgie.

Setting her pencil and notepad flat against the tray, Georgie frees up her right hand and meets Biff's. "Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Chanum. Now, what can I get'cha?"

Georgie goes around the table taking orders. First Marquis, who claims she'll just steal part of whatever Hideo's having. Next up is Biff, who orders a plain cheeseburger with fries, then Hanae, who orders a garden salad (much to Biff's chagrin), and finally Hideo.

"One large order of fries," Georgie says, jotting down Hideo's order before looking back up at him expectantly. "And what'll ya have ta' drink?|

"Psst, Marquis," Biff whispers, hunching down and trying to catch a distracted Marquis' attention. For some reason, she was staring intensely at Georgie's shoes.

"Huh?" Marquis perks up and looks around, having heard her name called from somewhere. After a moment of triangulating the location of the voice, she determines it was Biff and hunches down as well, leaning towards him. "What's up?"

"C'mere."

Doing as she's told, Marquis swiftly shifts seats to the one next to Biff and puts her arm on the back of it. Rather than saying 'what's up', again, she just cocks her head and waits for Biff.

"Look at him," Biff whispers, flicking his head up toward Hideo. He glances toward Hanae to make sure she's in on this before turning back to Marquis. "Hideo's the type of guy to order plain water. Watch this."

Marquis snickers as she, Biff, and Hanae all stare directly at Hideo.

"Uh, I'll just have…" Hideo starts, trailing off as he sees everyone staring at him and Marquis giggling. He knows they're probably making fun of him, but he can't exactly call them out right now. "Um… just water, please."

"You want that plain?" Biff asks completely deadpan.

"Y- uh…" Hideo furrows his brow at Biff then turns once more to Georgie. "Uh… yes, plain water, please. No lemon."

"Alright, water with no lemon," Georgie says idly, jotting it down. "I'll put that in for y'all and I'll be right back with your drinks." And that said, she takes off, briskly walking while delicately balancing the tray of dishes.

Biff and Marquis immediately begin snickering and nudging each other, and even Hanae giggles a little, though she can't quite figure out why it's funny. Hideo only ordered water, after all.

Hideo goes slightly red when he sees everyone's reaction. "H-hey I didn't even do anything. I know you're laughing at me, you… uh… I don't know why b-but you better stop."

Amid laughs, Biff takes a deep breath and gives Hideo a wide smile. "Just keep doing you, Hidi. And enjoy that plain water."

Starting to get flustered, Hideo rubs his hand on his forehead. "Was that it? A-are you seriously laughing at me for ordering water? I swear I-"

"No lemons, right?" Marquis interrupts with a smirk.

And from there, she and Hideo break into another argument about the justifiability of laughing at him, and the parameters that ought to be set for doing so in the future. After almost a minute of this, Hanae leans over to Biff and nudges him.

"Uh, Biff," She says quietly, not wanting to disrupt Hideo and Marquis. "I have to use the restroom. Do you know where it is?"

"Back there." Biff points to the back-right of the building.

"Thank you." And Hanae stands and takes off, though Hideo and Marquis don't seem to notice due to being so preoccupied.

Biff sits back in his chair and silently listens until eventually a familiar-though oddly out of place-voice pulls his attention away.

"Hello, my apologies for being late, I-"

There's a pause as Hideo cries "Nonononono" in response to something Marquis said.

"Did I pick a poor time to arrive?"

Hearing the voice ring out, Biff sits up straight in his chair and turns around immediately. There, standing next to Marquis, is Safie, though dressed extremely peculiarly. While she retains the whole 'Velvet Room blue' aesthetic, her outfit appears to be as generic of a replication of the term 'street casual' as possible. She wears a deep blue baggy cardigan over a white crew-neck shirt and jeans of the same shade as her sweater. On the top of her head, Safie dons a Velvet Room-colored beanie inscribed with the golden initials 'VB', pulled loosely enough to allow her long silver braid to hang out.

Seeing Biff look her outfit up and down, Safie squirms slightly and impulsively runs a hand along her braid. "Is this outfit 'casual' enough? I attempted to dress appropriately for a high schooler of your age."

"O-oh, sorry, you're just fine. Got a bit distracted," Biff says cooly after the short delay. He casts a mean look towards Hideo and Marquis, who are still bickering, and clears his throat loudly. "*AHEM*, did you hear that, everyone? Safie's here."

"Safie's what now?" Hideo mumbles, turning away from his debate and looking around, eventually locking eyes with Safie. He looks startled for a moment before trying to play it smooth by saying, "Well, hello there…"

"Hideo!" Marquis cries, hearing his mildly flirtatious tone.

"I- what? I was just saying hi!"

Safie takes a side step towards Biff and speaks such that only he can hear. "They're just like this in real life, too…"

"Marquis, get out of Safie's seat," Biff says harshly, nudging Marquis away and sending her scampering towards the seat next to Hideo. Using his foot, he pushes the chair back from the table to allow Safie room to sit. "I ah… tried to save you a seat."

"Thank you, Wild Card," Safie says with a bow, sitting next to Biff.

Biff tenses and grits his teeth, glancing towards Hideo and Marquis to check if they heard. It would appear they weren't paying enough attention. "I told you to call me Biff."

Once Marquis is sufficiently settled in her seat, she extends a hand towards Safie, offering a shake. "Don't let ol' Hidi here leave a bad impression on ya. I'm Marquis! Just Marquis. No last name."

Safie gently meets Marquis' shake. "I know," She says, still maintaining her usual professionalism. "Though I've been hoping to meet you for quite some time."

"You… have? Uh…" Marquis shifts her eyes towards Biff and questioningly raises an eyebrow. "Biff, I guess you must've given me a glowing review."

Before Biff can even say anything to cover up Safie's next words, she speaks. "Oh, no. It is simply that my role as keeper of his heart requires me to supervise him in his journey."

If a record scratch noise were capable of playing, it probably would right about now.

"A… a keeper of his heart? Like… a… a…" Marquis goes bright red in a matter of milliseconds and braces a hand against the edge of the table. "You…" For once, she's at a loss for words, and oddly enough, looks terrified.

Hideo's eyes get as wide as they can possibly go, and he gives Biff a look that's a strange combination of genuine shock, awe, and a touch of admiration. "Biff, man… you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend. 'Atta boy, you don't waste any time, huh?"

Biff makes a choking noise as he, too, goes slightly red in the face. "N-no it's not like that, she's just…" He freezes up, realizing that to explain who Safie is, he'd have to explain the whole Velvet Room, and they're kinda in a crowded restaurant. Not to mention that Hanae could come back at any moment now.

"Girlfriend?" Safie asks in the time Biff hesitates, looking more confused than shocked. "No, nothing of that sort. I meant that I watch over and supplement the growth of his Personas, as well as your journeys into the Dreamlands. Biff, you did tell them of my role, did you not?"

If a louder, more jarring record scratch noise could play, it probably would right about now.

Everyone at the table goes silent. Marquis looks like she's about to faint after the combined shock. Next to her, Hideo chokes up considering he has no idea what to say in response and the fact that he's put completely and utterly off guard. In contrast, rather than being shocked, Biff has his face in his hands, wholly dreading the fact that this went as bad as it possibly could have gone in a matter of seconds. And finally, Safie quietly gazes around the table, confused as to what could have elicited such a reaction.

"Did I say something wrong?" She asks Biff, already starting to look apologetic despite not knowing what's happening.

"No, Safie… damnit. You… you're fine," Biff sighs heavily and sits back in his chair, trying to gauge Hideo and Marquis' reaction and hoping it won't be too bad. Marquis still looks white from shock, but more concerningly, Hideo looks fairly pissed.

"No no no, Biff, that's not 'fine'. What… you… she…" Hideo stutters through his words as he casts a quick glance towards Safie, who meets him with an awkward smile, before furrowing his brow back at Biff. He lowers his voice before responding again. "Have you been telling her about the Dreamlands? What the hell, man? I thought we were keeping it on the down low."

"I... no, it's not like that, I didn't…" Biff pauses, then places a hand back on his forehead, rubbing it. "Ok, well I did, but not in the way you think. She's… uh… involved."

"Biff, who's this girl? I've never seen her before in my life and now she's just dropping…" Hideo lowers his voice even further. "Persona knowledge? What the hell?"

"I will explain, Biff," Safie says with an unexpected bout of confidence. "I created this issue… somehow… so I will remedy it." She looks intensely at Hideo and the paralyzed Marquis, the latter having started to come down from her freak out, now lying limp against the back of the chair, a hand over her heart. "I come from a place between dream and reality, mind and matter-The Velvet Roo-"

Waving his non-facepalming hand, Biff brashly interrupts Safie. "No, no don't give the spiel. I'll explain it."

"As you wish, Wild Card." As she calls him 'Wild Card', Hideo gives Biff a pointed look as though to once again ask 'are you serious?'

"Alright, listen up, Hidi, 'cause I'm only gonna explain this once. You too, Marquis… Marquis? You all good?"

Marquis sits back upright and gives Biff an uncomfortable sort of look. Despite the circumstances, she oddly enough doesn't look at all angry at him. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, I uh… just my, uh, weak heart, aheh… classic Marquis, right?" She looks around the room while laughing and pointing finger guns, trying to get someone to join her in order to alleviate the awkwardness. It doesn't work.

"Well, I'm glad you're fine. As I was saying, Safie here's from the Velvet Room."

Hideo purses his lips. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Biff musters as mean of a look as he can, considering. "I was getting to that if you'd let me finish." Hideo raises his hands in surrender. "ANYWAYS… the first night I arrived in Japan, when I went to sleep I woke up in this Velvet Room place. That's where I met Safie, here, and her master, Igor. He's this old dude with a long nose who barely talks in anything besides cryptic warnings.."

"He does have a long nose," Safie affirms, trying her hardest to be helpful in fixing her mistake.

"You're telling me Safie lives in your dreams?" Hideo asks dubiously.

Both Safie and Biff gives a synchronized short nod. "Hidi," Biff continues. "We've seen so much crazy shit, I think we're past the point of doubtin' much of anything anymore." Hideo shrugs in admission. "And now I show up in this Velvet Room every couple of nights. Safie and Igor's job is to, like, give me advice and help develop my heart since I've got the whole 'power of the Wild Card' thing."

"Your ability to control multiple Personas, you mean?" Hideo clarifies, actually looking like he's starting to believe Biff.

"Yup, you think I made that term up myself? Since they've got to be supervisin' my Persona-ing, they watch us from their magic Velvet Room. Hey, speakin' of that," Biff shifts his gaze back to Safie. "Shouldn't you have known I never mentioned the Velvet Room if you watch us all the time?"

"Sh-she watches us… all the time?" Hideo stutters, the pieces clicking together as he suddenly gets mildly self-conscious.

"Only when it's relevant to the development of Mr. Chanum's heart," Safie corrects, addressing both Hideo and Biff. "And I had foolishly assumed you would have brought it up in the time I was not observing you. All the past Wild Cards did within the first week. I am truly sorry to make this social encounter so awkward. I will make no such assumptions in the future."

Continuing off of Safie's statement before Biff can respond, Hideo speaks as well. "Yeah, wait, why didn't you mention this Velvet Room before? Especially if you were bringing her here?"

Biff hesitates for a moment, though he looks much less tense considering Hideo's no longer hostile. "I ah… honestly just forgot to. And I didn't find out she was coming until about an hour ago. That's what the whole me blanking out thing was: she brought me into the Velvet Room while conscious."

Hideo sighs and leans back in his chair. "I… don't have any good reason not to trust you…" He looks to Marquis and gives her a small reassuring smile. "Can you believe it? That this girl from Biff's dream can just enter reality?"

Marquis, who seems to have made a full and graceful recovery, waves both hands in an exaggerated dismissive motion. "Psh, Hidi, I'm from the Dreamlands. People being from dreams isn't even that weird to me. Plus, she's got the yellow eyes."

Hideo locks eyes with Safie and becomes cognizant of the fact that she does, in fact, have slightly glowing yellow eyes, identical to Marquis' left eye. "That's… right. She does have the yellow eyes. What's up with that?" He asks Safie, cocking his head slightly. "Are you… like… a Shadow…?"

Safie thinks about it for a moment, then definitively answers, "No. I was born this way. As were all my sisters."

"Born…" Biff mutters as he thinks for a moment before going wide-eyed. "Wait… is Igor your father…?"

"Uwah?!" Safie goes slightly red at the notion and shakes her head fervently. "N-no. No, the nose- er... master is not my father."

"But… where did you come from?" Biff pushes. "Are you… human?"

Strangely enough, Safie seems to hesitate, but not in a manner that suggests she doesn't know, but rather as though the question makes her very much uncomfortable. After a moment of shifting in her seat, she slowly responds. "I… would rather not delve into that if it's alright."

Slapping her hands against the table, Marquis commands everyone's attention. "Alrighty, Biff-boy. That's enough interrogatering for now-let the poor lil' lady relax. Us yellow-eyed gals need to have our secrets."

"Interrogatering…?" Hideo mouths, looking very confused.

Casually leaning back in his seat, Biff gives Safie his best attempt at a relaxing grin. "Hm…? Yeah, sorry about that, Safie, And no problem-you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to."

Safie simply gives a curt nod in response.

While Marquis is busy rising from her seat, making up words, and chastising Biff, Hideo can't help but notice the slightest glimmer of a cocky grin on her face. She looks very… satisfied with something all of a sudden. Considering how much of a handful Marquis is, what with the rapidly shifting dispositions, Hideo gives an internal sigh, meant for no one but himself.

Soon after, Hanae returns, looking particularly startled as soon as she notices the foreign figure now sitting at the table.

"Hanae, meet Safie," Biff calls with much chutzpah.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Hanae," Safie says, rising from her seat and giving a short bow before extending a hand to shake.

Despite finding it undeniably uncomfortable to be shaking hands with someone so new, Hanae does it anyway, and the two exchange an exquisitely delicate shake. "It's nice to meet you as well," Hanae responds softly. "Um…" Without much in the way of conversation topics coming to mind, Hanae asks the first thing she can think of. "Ah… do… you go to Makisini High? I've never seen you around."

Safie begins to speak in her same professional, emotionless-though somehow gentle-tone. "No, I'm actually fro-" She freezes up, seeing how Biff, Hideo, and Marquis are all staring ridiculously intensely at her. The attention makes her cheeks go slightly red, and as she meets Biff's eyes, he gives her a very slight, though very clearly intentioned shake of the head, silently communicating a simple 'don't you dare'. "A-ah, I'm uh… no, I'm not from Makisini, I go to um… uh... "

Picking up the slack, Hideo slides in with some improvisation. "Noshiro High, you said, right? On the other side of town?" As Hideo pulls her out of the hole she dug herself, Safie meets his eyes and receives an even more pointed glare.

Flustered and on the verge of clamming up, Safie tries her hardest to play it all off. "Y-yes… Noshiro High. I go there. My school."

"Oh, I've never been there," Hanae says idly, looking slightly disappointed that she can't relate. "Um… do y-"

"Here's ya food!" Georgie's voice rings out and makes Hanae jump, interrupting her mid-sentence and causing her to visually deflate. "Alright, now ah…" Shifting her grip on the tray of plates, Georgie pulls out her notepad and flips it open with one hand. After quickly looking it over, she appropriately distributes everyone's meals and drinks. Delivering to Biff last, she turns to Safie and gives her a quick look-over. "And can I get'cha anythin', honey?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. Thank you," Safie says, attempting to sound as composed as possible, though still coming across as somewhat flustered.

"Mhmm," Georgie mutters, turning away and starting to walk off. "Let me know if I can grab anythin' else for y'all," She calls over her shoulder.

Slightly nudging Hanae with his elbow, Biff tries to goad her into continuing. "What was that you were sayin', Hanae?"

"Oh um…" Hanae hesitates for a second, but eventually recovers, giving Biff a grateful glance before turning back to Safie. "...Do you read often?" After saying this, she gives Marquis a brief, yet very uncertain look, recalling the fact that Marquis has never read a book in her life-and Hanae really wants someone to relate to considering neither Biff, Hideo, or Marquis (obviously) are reading types.

"Yes, I do," Safie says calmly, her emotionless response slightly startling poor Hanae. "There's not much for me to do… um…" Safie catches Biff once more intensely staring at her. "...where I live, so I spend all my time reading whatever I possibly can."

Hanae lightens up greatly, a very slight, though very pleased smile creeping its way upon her lips. "You do? O-oh, um… who's your favorite author?"

Safie ponders the question for a moment, then nods to herself. "I very much enjoy the work of H.P. Lovecraft and his disciples. The style of their horror is truly like nothing else."

Shifting in her seat, Hanae looks absolutely giddy for once, unable to contain a toothy grin. "Yes! Oh, I've never met anyone else who reads Lovecraft. While his uh… racism can be a little off-putting, I always find myself drawn back to his work. What's your favorite story of his?"

"Who the hell's H.P. Lovecraft?" Biff interjects. Despite intellectual discussion not being his forte, he still wants to contribute to the conversation-regardless of how abrasive he comes across as.

"He sounds like a nice guy," Marquis adds softly.

Hideo gives Marquis an exasperated look but eventually concedes. "His name's pretty cool."

"Cooler than your name, Hidi," She whispers with a smirk, attempting to rile up Hideo.

"Wh-what? Why'd you have to say that?"

"Because the name Hideo Kotchi just doesn't roll off the tongue. It's weird."

"And Marquis is any better?"

Hanae considers the best way to answer Biff's question for a couple of seconds before carefully responding. "He… was the one who devised such cosmic horror stories as… um… do you know what Cthulhu is?"

Biff goes wide-eyed and sits up straight in his chair. He, Hideo, and Marquis exchange partly concerned, partly very confused expressions before Biff slowly turns back to Hanae. "...No…?" It would appear none of them had even heard of the Cthulhu mythos before now.

Hanae nods, not looking very surprised. "Cthulhu is best described as… an ancient being of god-like power that slumbers on Earth until the day he awakens and destroys all of humanity. Lo-" She stops mid-sentence, noticing the intense looks from Biff, Hideo, and Marquis, and suddenly becomes conscious of how much of a geek she must sound like.

"Go on," Hideo says as an attempt to be reassuring.

"L-Lovecraft wrote about such beings in order to reinforce themes of hopelessness and cosmic insignificance." With the final point of nerd-out complete, she clams up, turning bright red and retreating in on herself.

"Well said," Safie states, smiling gently and turning to Hideo and Marquis. "And after his death, his legacy was carried on by many other authors, often referred to as his disciples. They're responsible for countless other stories and creatures, including, but not limited to, Cyäegha and Atlach-Nacha."

Both Hideo and Marquis pause for a moment and stare at her blankly before exchanging a blank look of their own. Eventually, Hideo speaks up as well. "That's… very interesting of you to say."

While the second Lunch at Georgie's is busy going on, Miho Fuiji is spending the first half of her afternoon in the student council room, silently counting the hours while working alongside vice-president Akito Takagi. The room, basking in complete and utter quiet save the tic-tic-tic-ing of the clock, would carry a certain awkward air if this weren't how every student council meeting ended up looking. The aforementioned tic-ing draws Miho's attention, and she's reminded to glance up and at the clock, silently praying that it's nearly time to go.

Akito's nasal, frankly annoying voice rings out next to her, making Miho jump as it pierces the veil of silence. "If you're going to waste time rather than review these student profiles, then feel free to leave. You're distracting me."

Though she's bitterly peeved by the fact Akito elected to chew her out for glancing at the damn clock, Miho tries to brush it off and not let it go to her head-she's not going to be the same resentful person that she always was. "Oh, sorry Aki. We're almost done, so I'll just stay and help wrap it up."

"Don't call me Aki. We're not friends," He mutters, not even looking at her as he adjusts his rectangular wire-frame glasses and jots something down on the paper he's currently examining.

 _Okay then, asshole. Whatever you say,_ Miho jeers internally out of habit. She can't help but kick herself for lashing out, but whatever. Now's not really the time to introspect on her Shadow and beat herself up-she's had plenty of that already. Now that she thinks of it, actually, she did resolve to try and be a genuinely better friend-and person-to those around her, so why not do so with Akito? While Miho's always somewhat enjoyed these meetings for the mere fact that Akito, unlike everyone else, never expected anything from her besides silence, if Biff, Hideo, and Marquis have taught her anything, it's that it's never too late to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Miho scoots her rolling chair slightly away from the table and turns towards her VP. "So, Akito, got any plans for later today?"

Akito doesn't respond for a moment. He simply places his pencil flat on the table perfectly parallel to his paper, then takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes. After this gesture, still keeping his glasses off, he moves his chair back as well and turns towards Miho.

Seeing him with his glasses off is oddly foreign, but now that he's turned, Miho gets a full view of his figure. Akito seems to represent the generic image of a lanky nerd as much as is humanly possible. A perfectly combed-over swoop of jet black hair lines the top of his head, contrasting his long facial structure and fox-like features. As for his clothes, he remains entirely within the confines of the Makisini High uniform-the black blazer, pants, and tie complemented by a white dress shirt.

With a look of utter annoyance-and some semblance of incredulity-Akito speaks in such an assured manner that one would believe his words are facts. "I said we're not friends, Fuiji. You never tried your nice girl routine on me in the past, so there's no reason to start now; and anyway, I'm not interested in joining your cult of personality. I figured we had some sort of unspoken agreement to leave each other alone. Now, I'm not sure what's changed with you, but I'm not having it, so let's just get this done and leave like always, okay?" He places his glasses back on his face and picks up his pencil once more, returning his attention to the paper in front of him. "And yes, I'm meeting with Mr. Makanara after this, so like I said, let's just get this done and leave."

Miho's gentle smile freezes as Akito begins chewing her out, and it takes everything she has to avoid scowling right at him. After the room falls back into silence, she glances around at the empty chairs placed in front of abandoned folding tables, and for once really wishes that everyone who joined student council-usually for the opportunity to be close to Miho herself-wasn't soon driven out by Akito's distasteful personality. That is, she only wishes thus so she could get out of here faster-the silence provided is, of course, very nice.

She briefly considers asking Akito what he and Mr. Makanara, the principal of Makisini High, do in their frequent meetings, but decides against it, not finding it worth putting up with Akito's annoying voice again.

If it were any other combination of people sitting alone in this Student Council room, an air of awkwardness may begin to settle among them. But this isn't any combination of people, this is Akito Takagi and Miho Fuiji, so instead, the room simply reverts to the way it always is-silent.

The lunch party continues like this for about an hour longer, chock full of Hanae's awkward attempts at conversation, Safie's confusing naivety, and a constant stream of Hideo and Marquis fighting. Eventually, they all pay their respective bills-with Biff volunteering to cover Hanae-and they make their way out.

Marquis conjures up her best puppy dog eyes (a disconcerting maneuver considering he offputting yellow eye) and tries to give a cute pout that inexplicably doesn't work. "Will you pay for my lunch, Biff? Pleeeeease?"

"You didn't even order anything."

The group of five steps outside and into the sun, temporarily blinded by the influx of light after remaining in the gloomy restaurant for so long.

"Well!" Marquis chirps, briefly glancing down the main boulevard towards the direction of the train station. "This is my stop, so it looks like I'm getting off this party bus." She takes an exaggerated step away from the small cluster of people while still staying within arms reach of Hanae and Safie.

"Nice meetin' ya, Safie," She says, extending a hand for one last shake. "Never let anyone tell you that your yellow eyes are anything but beautiful. Never let them get you down. Promise me that."

"Um… thank you?" Safie responds tentatively, gently gripping Marquis' hand in a lax shake. "And it was nice to finally meet you as well."

As this exchange goes down, Hideo catches that same pleased smirk on Marquis' face from earlier. The best way he can describe it is that she looks like she just emerged victorious from something-actually, now that he thinks of it, it's just like her cocky grin whenever they win a fight against Shadows.

"And it was an honor meeting you, Hanae." Marquis holds her fist out towards the poor girl and looks at her expectantly. "Give me some skin."

Hanae slowly bumps fists with Marquis, the latter turning her lips up in a beaming smile. "I… uh, had fun today," Hanae stutters. "Th-thank you very much for taking me along with you."

"No problem, now I'll see you all around." Marquis locks eyes with Safie. "Even you, Ms. Velvet Room. I better see your cute lil' face again." Safie's face turns to a slight ruby hue and she averts her gaze out of instinct.

"Velvet Room?" Hanae asks no one in particular.

"Now I'm outta here!" Having said her goodbyes to everyone (except Biff and Hideo), Marquis throws up dual peace signs and saunters off towards the train station.

"B-but the housing districts are this way…" Hanae starts to say, but sadly her soft voice doesn't reach far enough, and Marquis keeps walking off.

"I'm… sure she'll find her way home," Biff asserts, starting to turn around and nudging Hideo to follow. "But speakin' of that, we should prolly head back, too. Asami and Eikichi'll be expectin' us home soon."

Hanae lingers for a moment longer, seemingly thinking something over. She turns to Safie, the only one standing next to her. "She's an odd girl."

"We know," Biff and Hideo respond in unison.

The group chats idly as they all make their way to their respective homes. Hideo eventually reaches his turn and says his goodbyes before awkwardly shuffling off down his street, leaving only Hanae, Safie, and Biff himself.

Biff walks Hanae to the door of the Ryleigh house, opening the door so she can slip inside. Once in, she steps to the side to allow Biff room to enter, and upon seeing him remain still, gets slightly confused.

"I'm gonna walk Safie home, tell Asami I'll be right back; it's only a short walk," He says, taking his hand off the doorframe and stepping back.

"O-oh, alright." Safie looks certainly disappointed at the news but nods her head nonetheless. "Um… Biff?"

"What's up?"

"...Thank you for today. I really enjoyed meeting your friends."

Biff gives an airy chuckle and can't help but allow a smile to make its way onto his face. "Anytime, Hanae. They seemed to love ya."

Hanae looks very pleased to hear that, and deeming the brief chat over, she hastily turns away and scurries off upstairs, looking somewhat flustered in those last few seconds.

Biff begins walking down the short pavement that leads back to the sidewalk, at the end of which Safie stands idly, taking in her monotonous surroundings-i.e. the rows of perfectly identical houses as far as the eye can see.

"Is that Velvet Room door portal thing still gonna be where it was?" Biff asks nonchalantly, slipping his hands into his pockets as he approaches the 'keeper of his heart'.

"Yes, it will," Safie says, bowing for some reason. "Shall we make our way there?"

"...We shall."

The two pace side-by-side down the sidewalk, Biff maintaining his gusto-filled, shoulder swaying strut, and Safie coming across as out of place as possible, unconsciously shrinking down by keeping her hands pulled behind her back. That, combined with her alien eye and hair color, truly makes her appear as though she doesn't belong in this world. Which she doesn't, of course.

"So," Biff starts, turning halfway towards Safie as they walk and giving her a calm smile. "Did'ja enjoy yourself as much as you expected?"

Safie thinks on the question for a moment. "Yes." Another moment passes, and just before an awkward silence is able to settle in, she realizes she ought to elaborate for the sake of human conversation. "I was very satisfied with how today turned out. Hideo and Marquis were… exactly as I recall, and Hanae proved to be very charming. She's quite the intense girl when she gets talking."

Biff chuckles to himself. "That's one way of putting it."

Turning towards Biff now, Safie looks up and tries to meet his eyes with her own. With their dim glow, looking at them leaves a slight floating visual sensation similar to staring at a light bulb. "Mr. Chanum, if fate should lead you to pursue a meaningful bond with Hanae Ryleigh, then may I offer you some advice?"

Biff raises his eyebrow dubiously. "This isn't the Velvet Room, ya know. You don't need to do this whole 'heart management thing'."

Safie gives a very slight nod. "I know, but this is coming from me, not from my responsibilities." Biff purses his lips and gives a nod of his own in response. "She has been through a lot more than one would imagine, so exercise caution. In growing to understand who she is, I would recommend you keep your guard up, she might just surprise you."

Biff sighs and turns away. "Cryptic as always. But thanks, I know my heart's development and all means a lot to you, though I've never gotten the chance to ask why you care so much."

As though it were the most obvious thing in the world, Safie responds as plainly as possible. "Because it's my duty." Falling back in line, she resumes her delicate walk, further affirming her sharp contrast with Biff.

Biff furrows his brow and shakes his head, sending his golden locks rocking back and forth. "Yeah, I get that, but why do YOU care? Do you actually enjoy being cooped up in that Velvet Room all day doing jack shit but stand next to Big Nose?"

"Hnk-" Safie makes a sort of choking noise upon hearing Biff's semi-accusation. Quite frankly, these are questions she's tried not to dwell on, though in the Velvet Room there's not much else to do. After a moment of grappling with the issue, she quietly responds, "No… it's dreadfully boring in there."

Biff gives a slow nod, pleased that the truth is coming out.

Her mood somewhat lightening, Safie continues with renewed vigor. "But I do enjoy viewing you and your friends' escapades. It's almost like that thing you have… um… television! It's always so much fun to watch."

"But why do you stay there? If you wanted to, couldn't you just run away and live in this world? Hell, that's practically what Marquis did."

Safie shakes her head fervently as though the idea was preposterous. "No… no, I couldn't… I…" She hesitates, thinking over the possibility of 'what if'. "No." She shakes her head again. "My whole life has been leading up to the point when I could help guide a Wild Card towards their destiny. My sisters before me all facilitated journeys of their own, and those that remained in the Velvet Room have helped build me up to this moment. It's… a responsibility by birthright, and it's one I wholeheartedly wish to fulfill."

Biff loosens up and shrugs. "I can respect that. I just wanted to make sure The Nose wasn't holdin' you in there against your will."

"No… but while the topic has been brought up…" Safie slightly fidgets while she walks, eventually reaching up and tugging off her navy blue beanie and wringing it in her hands. "Have I… been doing fine as a keeper of your heart?"

With a chuckle and a sort of incredulous expression, Biff responds hesitantly. "I'm… not really sure how the hell I'm supposed to answer that question."

"I just… um…" Safie's anxious hat wringing becomes a bit more intense. "I'm… not exactly sure what I'm trying to say, I just… hm..."

Biff deems it necessary to interject. "If you're asking if you've been helpful, I'd say definitely. I probably woulda died a couple of times already if you didn't introduce my new Personas, and if you weren't around, then who'd I have to wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me I made a friend?" With that last line, Biff swings his shoulder into Safie's, lightly nudging her.

Safie's face goes a dull red color as Biff musters some nice words for once. "Th-thank you… I'm sorry for asking, it's just… as I said, my sister's helped raise me, but when discussing matters of our duty, they'd never really tell me anything about what I should be doing besides 'helping to facilitate the growth of their heart through meaningful bonds by serving as a reference'. And, of course, they informed me about Personas and the world of cognition." She sighs, her grip on the beanie. "My eldest sister, Margaret, would always say, 'Safie, nothing we know can possibly help you. Every Wild Card walks their own path, and you alongside them. You will understand your duties when the time comes, but until then, you must wait.' And when the time for my duty did come, I was thrust into it still with only a vague notion of what I ought to be doing. I just… I really hope I'm doing it right. I could never forgive myself if…" Safie looks up and at Biff once more, locking eyes with him. "...If my incompetence ended up costing you and your friends dearly in the long run. And considering Master only ever speaks when you're there, I still have no idea if I'm doing it right."

Biff lets out a long, low whistle as he tries to figure out how to interpret Safie's opening up to him. "Well, uh… when you put it like that…" He purses his lips and shakes his head slightly, changing his method of approach. "I'm sorry to hear that your duty's so stressful. But as far as I'm concerned, you're the best keeper of my heart I've ever had. How about we promise each other this: all of us're learnin' a hell of a lot of new things these days, what with Personas and Dreamlands and all, so let's promise to just keep doin' our best. I have no idea how to actually stop that Boto guy, and you have no idea how to be a keeper of hearts, but we haven't quite failed yet so let's keep it that way. Maybe we'll find out what we've been trying this whole time was exactly what we ought to be doin'."

Safie steps in front of Biff and turns around to face him, causing Biff to notice that they are, in fact, in front of the Velvet Room entrance. Seeing her head-on, she seems to be thinking over his proposition. Biff doesn't have the heart to tell her that it wasn't actually a bargain so much as it was an attempt to reassure her. "Thank you," She says eventually. "In that case, I'll stick to what I've been doing in hopes that it will prove profitable."

"That's the spirit!" Biff says heartily, lightly clapping her on the shoulder. "And don't be afraid to hang out with us in the future. Tell Igor you're tryin' to develop my heart or somethin' just so long as it gets you outta there."

Safie starts idly fiddling with her hat once more, suddenly looking a bit more anxious as she hesitantly begins to speak. "I… know I'm woefully inexperienced in more ways than one, and my skills of self-expression are no different, but your words truly mean a great deal to me." For probably the first time, Biff doesn't detect any attempts at professionalism in Safie's tone-she genuinely speaks from the heart. "While I've watched you plenty from the Velvet Room, I see now, first hand, why you are the one that was chosen as a Wild Card-it's not a role just anyone could fill. And…" She tightly grips the beanie. "...I wanted to say thank you again for spending time with me. The Velvet Room can get lonely and… I…" She shakes her head, slightly panicking and instinctually performing a quick bow. "Th-thank you. I promise, I'll do everything I possibly can to facilitate the growth of your heart-I want to see the grand heights you reach, Mr. Chanum."

Biff feels a pleasantly familiar sensation of warmth spread through his body. While she's not particularly talented in regards to letting him know, he can feel her wholesome appreciation and respect radiating outward and inspiring him to keep fighting, if only to bring her aid in the fulfillment of her duty. He knows also that her dedication to guiding him doesn't quite come from a place purely of obligation but from somewhere a bit more heartfelt. As this thought crosses his mind, a sense of bliss replaces the warmth… and… Safie's voice doesn't call out to him.

Biff failed to notice that he had turned his head upward as his newfound bond had sprouted, but when the startling void of voice kicks in, he snaps out of it and looks down to Safie, looking slightly puzzled.

"Ah!" Safie cries, suddenly realizing what happened. "D-did we just… oh, I… I wasn't prepared for that to happen. Um…"

The confused expression on Biff's face lingers for a moment as he remains slightly out of whack. "N-no, it's fine, I just… kinda expected you to do the talkin' in my mind thing. It's almost like a routine at this point."

Safie takes a half-step back and goes wide-eyed. "Y-you did? Um…" After just expressing a concern for failing to fulfill her duties, the fact that she didn't affirm Biff's bond is, in her mind, extremely troublesome. "I can still do it if you want." Clearing her throat, she begins talking as calmly as possible (not in Biff's mind, but normally), but tragically begins to stutter.

"I-I am thou, thou art I…"

Biff waves a hand dismissively and raises his voice in an attempt to cut her off. "No, no don't do that. It's fine, really. It just felt… weird. But you doin' it now'd be even weirder, what, with us standin' right next to each other."

"A-are you sure?" She responds, extremely hesitantly.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Desperate to change the subject, and still a little off-kilter, Biff hastens the interaction. "But I've got to get back to the Ryleigh's right about now. So I'll see you, what, in my dreams in the next few days? We just made a bond after all."

Safie seems to be lost in thought but quickly snaps out of it, going a bit red at the notion of 'forming a bond' with Biff. "Y-yes, I will see you then. Probably tomorrow or… actually, I think it'd be most appropriate Friday evening."

"Do I have much of a choice?"

Safie considers it for a moment "...No. Now, um… I must get back to Master as well. Goodbye, Mr. Chanum. And I truly thank you for today." That being said, she bows once more to Biff, then quickly paces into the Velvet Room, and with a flash of blinding light, disappears from sight.

Biff chuckles to himself as he takes a step back and pivots on his food, turning towards the street and staring up at the clear blue sky-the first nice day Mata's had in nearly a week. Looks like the dreariness of the morning has entirely cleared out, leaving the sun shining brightly in mid-air.

An odd feeling washes over him as his eventful day comes to a close. It's an eerie sensation that somehow combines an ominous foreboding with a dull hope, like he knows terrible things are yet to come, but knows just as well that he can take it on.

Biff shakes his head, turning away and walking down the sidewalk back to the Ryleigh home. "Why do I feel like I've got one foot in the door of hell…?"


	11. Trying has to Count for Something

After Biff drops Safie off at the Velvet Room, he hastily makes his way back to the Ryleigh's home with the intent of doing nothing much for the last few hours before going to sleep. Before he can head off to his room, though, Asami and Eikichi, Hanae's parents, stop him.

"Uh, Chanum?" Eikichi starts, fixing the wire-frame glasses on his face as he rises from the couch. Next to him, Asami stands as well and takes a tentative step towards Biff.

Biff Chanum freezes mid-step, his roughened leather jacket already pulled off of one arm as he had every intent to retire. "Wah...?" He mutters, turning and letting the freed sleeve hang loose.

"I ah…" Eikichi glances at his wife, who stands wordlessly behind-and slightly to the left-of him. Asami simply gives a nod to encourage him to continue. "I mean, 'we' wanted to thank you for taking Hanae along with you and your friends today. We… know she can be difficult to interact with…"

Biff tightens his lips and glances between the two of them. While they both look clearly tired, no doubt the result of it being the end of a long day, Biff can easily pick up hints of what looks like genuine concern in their eyes. As such, he tries to pull up the most nonchalant smile he can manage. "Heh, no problem. Had a lotta fun today."

Asami takes a step forward, maneuvering around Eikichi to get a bit closer to Biff. "No, we truly mean it. Thank you, Biff."

Beyond the concern he read initially, with Asami closer, Biff picks up on something more-a kind of desperate gratitude that seems oddly out of place. Feeling that no more words are necessary, Biff simply hardens his visage and nods before turning and heading into his room.

He throws his leather jacket onto his bed and simply takes a moment to look over it. When he first came to Mata, despite its rough texture, the jacket had been wholly pristine, with no evident blemishes. After only a few forays into the dreamlands, a couple cuts have shown up on the arms and back. Across the front, a wide, darkened mark-the remnant of Biff getting full frontal fire-blasted by the King-lies, creating a blatant discoloration against the brown leather.

Biff sighs as he turns away, undressing and preparing for bed. Somehow he gets the feeling that these are the first few scars of many to come.

The rest of the week proves mostly uneventful, but for the sake of record keeping, the notable happenings will be outlined here.

4/18, Wednesday

After school on Wednesday, Miho approaches the members of MIFAS, striding confidently over to the back, a pleasant smile on her face, revealing that she's doing much better after yesterday.

"Hey, guys," She starts, eliciting words of greeting from Biff, Marquis, and Hideo in that order, the latter's coming out in a slightly panicked stutter. As Miho continues, she lowers her voice significantly, clearly trying to avoid letting the prying ears of their classmates invade on the semblance of privacy they have. "I mentioned yesterday the possibility of having you all come to my house after school on Saturday. Will you be able to make it?" A slight motion catches Miho's eye, and like a hawk her head darts to meet it. For a moment, she could've sworn she saw Hideo gulp.

"Y-yeah," Hideo mutters before clearing his throat and speaking up. "My parents said it was cool for me to… to come to… your-" Out of the corner of his eye, Hideo sees Biff glaring at him. "...to your house." He gives Biff a briefly guilty look before looking back at Miho and trying to assume a more confident posture. "They wanted to know where you live, first, though."

Miho raises an eyebrow and glances around the classroom, cautious of giving out too much personal information to too many people. "I live in house 751 on road seven."

"You do?!" Hideo exclaims, perhaps a bit dramatically, his eyes going wide as dinner plates as he takes a half step backward.

"I…" Miho turns to Biff and Marquis, receiving a simultaneous shrug fromthe both of them. "...do?"

"S-sorry, I just… uh," Hideo scratches the back of his neck as he tries to recover from the flustered burst. "I live in house 750, I had no idea we were neighbors."

"Ohh," Miho sighs, a relaxed smile forming on her face-she was frankly a bit concerned after Hideo reacted in such a volatile manner. "I knew."

"You... did?"

Miho nods, pulling her hands behind her back and suddenly looking vaguely sheepish rath than the usual friendly composure. "It ah… just never came up. And I… I don't really get out much on my days off, so it's no surprise you never noticed." While Hideo doesn't respond to this, he does look mildly flustered and very red, so Miho decides to push the conversation forward. "And what about you two?" She asks, regarding Biff and Marquis once more.

"As long as I give the people I'm stayin' with a heads up, they shouldn't care," Biff states simply.

Miho's eyes drift to Marquis, and she simply raises an eyebrow rather than repeat her question.

Marquis shifts her weight onto one leg and places her index finger and thumb against her face contemplatively. "Well, I'll have to check my busy schedule of knife sharpen-"

"You already made that joke," Biff huffs, furrowing his brow at Marquis and punching her across the shoulder. "She can come. _Right_ , Marquis?"

Marquis rubs her bruising upper arm disappointedly. "Yeah, I'll be there."

"Then it's settled." Miho clasps her hands in front of herself and takes a step back. "Now I have some work I have to attend to." Her eyes flit to Hideo and she gives him a half grin. "I'll see you Saturday, Hideo." And that being said, she briskly walks off.

Hideo takes off as well soon after, professing that after he canceled work on such a short notice yesterday, he absolutely, one hundred percent had to show up today. Still retaining a touch of crimson hue, Hideo jogs away, leaving only Biff and Marquis.

"Ah, my poor, lovelorn son," Marquis quips, folding her hands over her chest and closing her eyes tranquilly.

Ignoring Marquis' weird joke, Biff fishes into his pocket for his phone and pulls it out, checking the time. 3:00.

"Wanna go see a movie?" Biff asks casually, sticking his phone back from whence it came.

Breaking her pose, Marquis excitedly thrusts a hand in the air. "Of course I want to see a movie! What are we watching?"

"Mm," Biff rolls his eyes at the overly enthusiastic response. "While we were in the shoppin' district I saw the theater was playin' _The Gleaming 2._ I've heard it's pretty scary." He pauses for a second, looking Marquis up and down and feeling his confidence in the offer waver as he considers who exactly he's talking to. "Can you… handle scary movies?"

Marquis laughs boisterously. "Can I handle scary movies?" She scoffs. "Biff, I eat terrifying shadows for breakfast. Of course I can handle an itty-bitty spooky movie. I love spooky movies!"

As it would turn out, Marquis was lying about loving spooky movies.

Mata Theaters is a relatively well-sized establishment along the shopping district's main street. Among the other denizens of the boulevard's towering, almost claustrophobia-inducing, walls, the theater carves out a sizable storefront, and its neon signs incessantly promoting whatever's showing easily make it stand out.

 _The Gleaming 2_ proves to be a terrifying blend of psychological thriller and gore-filled murder that serves to chill even Biff to the bone. While he likes to think of himself as a rather 'unflinching in the face of death' type of guy, he can't help but feel as though his courage has managed to increase.

Marquis, on the other hand, doesn't handle the horror quite as well and spends the vast majority of the screen time clutching to the nearest Biff arm that she can reach, even when the movie's eased up on the scares and it's simply a scene depicting two characters talking to each other.

"Marquis!" Biff hisses, trying to keep his voice down as much as possible.

"SHHHH!" Some kid within a few seats cries, effectively being much louder than Biff.

"Piss off," Biff retorts before returning to Marquis. "Marquis, let go of my arm; I can't feel my fingers."

"But I'm scared; why did you make me come to this monster of a movie?" Rather than ease up, Marquis tightens her grip, pulling her cheek more firmly against Biff's bicep. "And anyway, don't you want to protect a poor, innocent girl wh-." "No, shut up. And you... you wanted to come," Biff growls, moving his other hand to try and pry her off, pushing her head. It proves ineffective, as, despite his greatest efforts, Marquis refuses to release her grip, her terror-filled shivers slightly tickling him. Though it goes against everything Biff believes in… just this once, he may have to… give up. Marquis, when she's feeling stubborn, is an enemy that not even the full power of the Wild Card could dream of handling, and the logical course of action is to just let it happen.

Biff sighs.

4/19, Thursday

The next day proves mostly uneventful, entirely due to the fact that Marquis isn't there.

"Uh, Biff?" Hideo starts, turning around in his desk once school is over. "Any idea why Marquis isn't here? Did she say she wasn't gonna show up?"

"Nah, she didn't say anythin' to me," Biff mutters, leaning back in his seat. "Maybe she's just sick; why're you so worried?"

Hideo purses his lips and frowns, his brow wrinkling unconsciously. "I know it's probably nothing, but, well, she doesn't exactly live in a safe neighborhood or anything." He lowers his voice, leaning in closer. "What if she got ambushed by a Shadow or something?"

Biff gives a gravelly chuckle, putting Hideo off guard considering he was trying to be serious. "Marquis can handle herself, and she has a Persona now, Hidiot. Trust me, she's fine." A silent moment passes as he thinks it over. "And we can't exactly go check on her-I have no idea where her house is. You know, I'll tell ya what: if she doesn't show up tomorrow we'll go searching, how 'bout that?"

Hideo seems to briefly consider protesting but decides to drop it. Biff's right, after all, they have literally no way to know where to search in what is possibly an Earth-sized-or larger-alternate dimension. "Alright…" He mutters, leaning his cheek against a propped up hand.

With Hideo's concession, Biff increases the bravado a bit, puffing out his chest. "And while we're not worryin' about Marquis, wanna go get lunch? We've got more than enough cash from Tuesday's Shadow killin'."

Hideo sighs, hesitating for a moment before answering. "I... still don't get why they drop money. And sure, what were you thinking?"

A wide, toothy grin stretches across Biff's face. "That ramen shop where you work. I want to meet your demon of a boss for myself."

"Wh-wha-" Hideo stammers, going slightly red in the face.

"Then it's settled," Biff states confidently, standing up from his desk and starting to walk off. "Come on, Hidi."

And off they went. The noodles were startlingly good by Biff's standards, and Hideo manages to survive the day by avoiding any eye contact with his burly, She-Hulk-esque boss.

4/20 (Nice), Friday

On Friday, Marquis returns to school, strolling through the door about five minutes before class starts and drawing the startled-yet very relieved-looks of Biff and Hideo.

"Good morning, boys!" She cheers, sauntering over in a very over-the-top manner.

"Marquis!" Biff barks, only flashing a small grin before shifting his visage to irritation. "Where the hell were you yesterday? Had us worried you wouldn't show up again."

Hideo nudges Biff on the shoulder, and picks up the conversation, trying his hardest to sound much nicer than his compatriot. "But we're very glad you're safe. What happened?"

"Oh, you boys don't need to worry about me. I'm unkillable and also invincible."

Hideo frowns slightly. "I don't think that's true."

Ignoring Hideo's doubt, Marquis glances at the clock. "Yeah, I've got time. Sit down, boys, I've got a story of epic proportions." Moving past Biff and Hideo, she slips into her seat. "And let's get Miho in on this, too." Marquis looks beyond the two and establishes a visual on Miho. "HEY! MIHO!" She calls, waving her hands for added effect.

Across the room, Miho tenses up and snaps her view to Marquis in an instant, looking slightly annoyed before seeing Marquis' dramatic motions beckoning her to come over. Miho turns back to her group of friends, holding up one finger. "I'll be right back, excuse me."

As Miho begins approaching the MIFAS-ordained section of desks, Biff and Hideo slide into their respective seats, and once there, Miho occupies the empty one immediately next to Biff.

"What's up, Marquis?" Miho says with a faintly awkward, yet welcoming, smile on her face.

"I have a story."

"Ah, um…" Miho falters for a second. "In the future, could you just tap me on the shoulder rather than shout across the room?"

"Mmm?" Marquis considers the question for longer than she reasonably should. "Sure. But only if you listen to my story."

Miho glances to her side to get a look at Biff and Hideo's exasperated expressions. She giggles airily. "Yeah, alright, let's hear it."

Turned fully around in her desk seat and sitting with her knees to the chair, Marquis begins telling her story, needlessly gesticulating with her hands. "Ok, so it all started yesterday morning when I woke up. I took a quick shower as any lady should, then I brushed my hair, then I um… uh… brushed my teeth, too."

"Is this how all your stories start?" Hideo mutters.

"So, after that, I've got my school stuff all ready and I grab my bag and start heading out. I open my door and there's this huge cube-shaped Shadow in the way. Like… huge. But I didn't know it was a Shadow since it was pitch black colored-as Shadows often are, so I thought for a second it was still night time, at least until I saw how jiggly this big fat Shadow was. And that's when I realized it was a Shadow!"

Biff purses his lips and sits back in his seat. "Did it attack you or anythin'?"

"Hm?" Marquis cocks her head. "Nah, it just hung out there. I waited for a few minutes to see if it would move, but it didn't. About this time, I realized I was going to miss the train to Mata if I didn't hurry, so I decided I'd bail out the back door and make a break for it, but that's when I realized something else: I don't have a back door! The front one's the only way out!" She says this last part very dramatically like it were a heart-wrenching plot twist that should have elicited gasps.

"Your house sounds very poorly designed," Hideo pipes in.

"Well, I didn't make it, so it's not my fault," Marquis retorts very sassily, placing her hands on her hips.

"Then where'd your house come from?" Miho adds as well, raising a finger.

Marquis shrugs. "I dunno, I just found it. But back to the story." She lowers her voice and leans in like it's a spooky story now. "So I came to the conclusion that the only way I was gonna make it out of here…" A couple seconds pass for the sake of a dramatic pause. "Was going through the Shadow. So I grabbed my knives and got to work. I figured if I kept stabbing it, eventually it'd die, and let me just say: it had a heck of a lot of HP. I was stabbing that thing all day long, and got myself covered in slimy Shadowy sludgey stuff after, like, two minutes."

Everyone around her is silent, merely basking in this stupidly pointless story.

"I stopped around lunch-time for a break, so I made a PB and J to refuel. Had to be a bit careful not to get Shadow goo in my sandwich, so I had to wash my hands, like, ten times beforehand. After a light lunch, it was right back to work, and I just kept stabbing. Eventually, I had Atlach-Nacha do the stabbing while I sat back, but that got tiring after a while so I had to do it myself. Probably around six o'clock, with a great big shudder, the thing exploded, painting my entire house black. It was so cool, guys. It made this awesome 'SHBOOOSH' noise. Hideo would've loved it. After that, the Shadow sludge all disappeared and I was clean again, but I'd missed school so that was sad." With that aptly put statement, Marquis rises from her seat and bows gracefully, as though she had just completed a marvel of a performance and expected applause.

"That was your story of epic proportions?" Biff grumbles, shaking his head disappointedly.

"Well, yeah! It was pretty cool, right Hidi?"

Hideo places his index finger and thumb on the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "...Yes, sure. Nice story, Marquis." He sighs, not having it in him to put Marquis down after she acted so excited to deliver her story.

"Eheh, well, I thought it was a fine story. Thank you, Marquis; I needed that," Miho says with one more soft giggle. She rises and takes a step back. "But class is about to start. See you all later."

Marquis pokes her tongue out at Biff. "See? Hideo and Miho loved my story. You must just be stupid."

"The hell'd you say to me?" Biff growls, his brow arching sharply down as he sits up straight to make himself look bigger.

Marquis jumps back, raising her hands in surrender-clearly she didn't expect such a brash reaction. "N-nothing, I was just saying you should be more like Miho!"

While it's not missed by Biff, Hideo wordlessly gives Marquis a horrified look as she suggests Biff should be like Miho.

4/21, Saturday

As Biff Chanum wakes up on Saturday morning, he can't help but notice-much to his chagrin-that his return to consciousness has placed him once again in the hazy, shadow-strewn, endlessly dark atmosphere of the Velvet Room. Before him, the silhouettes of both Igor and Safie stand silently-and near menacingly-as the roaring bonfire behind them casts shifting, distorted shadows directly toward Biff.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Calls Igor, perfectly on cue. "I have summoned you here-"

"-In a dream!" Biff cuts in with a grin. "Beat'cha to it."

Igor leans forward in his diminutive seat, bridging his lanky hands and resting his nose on top, his mouth curling into an eerily unnatural grin. "You appear to be feeling significantly more jolly this evening, Mr. Chanum."

"Well that's prolly because I am, Mr. Igor. Though it's weird you'd say that to me." Biff takes a half-step back, shifting his weight and clasping his hands behind his neck. "I've got a MIFAS party tonight, and…" He takes up a wide smirk, turning his attention to Safie. "I wanted to see what Safie has to say about our bond."

"E-eh?" She softly cries, her entire silhouetted form jumping back very slightly. Biff watches as she glances towards her master for verification, and upon receiving a curt nod in response, turns back to Biff and steps towards him, making her visage visible.

With a slight blush and an exceedingly awkward expression on her face, Safie slowly raises her bulky tome and opens it with one hand, summoning forth a slowly rotating, brightly gleaming, sapphire-colored tarot card. The face of this card depicts a regally dressed man, evidently some noble, of portly shape wearing a rounded, pointed hat. With his left hand, the man wields a thin staff with three crossbars at the top, and with his right, he points his thumb downward as though in denial of something.

Safie begins speaking, attempting to maintain her professional tone but failing miserably, stammering through it all. "U-um… through… uh, through support and m-mutual care with y-your ally…" In embarrassment, she turns her head away and shuts her eyes, her face having deviated to a tomato-like shade of red. "Your ally Safie, y-you have taken another step in the realization of your destiny. With me-" She cuts off. "I mean... with her, you have established the bond of the Hierophant. I-I'd recommend you, um, nourish this bond such that your power grows greater and your future grows brighter." With her speech recited and her duty fulfilled, Safie lets out a brief sigh. As she does so, the tarot card's gentle blue shimmer begins to glow brighter and brighter before sailing off into the bonfire and burning up upon contact, increasing the strength of the flames by several inches.

With Biff's newfound friendship affirmed by Safie, a slightly awkward silence begins to permeate the solemn atmosphere of the Velvet Room, as neither Igor nor Safie picks up the usual lecture.

Biff raises an eyebrow at Safie, who is still squirming slightly, and with as must nonchalance as he can muster, asks, "Aren't you gonna give me some advice for 'furtherin' my bond'?"

"Wh-what?" Safie stutters, thrown wholly off-guard.

Seeing her reaction, Biff grins playfully. "You always tell me the best way to go about strengthenin' my friendships. Come on, it's weird if you don't do it."

"U-um…" Safie hesitates as she reflects on the fact that yes, she does, in fact, do exactly that. But it's still really uncomfortable to do it about herself. "Ok, um, if I had to give you some advice about your newfound bond… I would… uh… recommend you be nice to her." She mutters this last bit, barely comprehensible by Biff.

"I should… be nice to her? That's your advice?"

Safie nods intently, really wanting this to be over. "Yes."

"Mkay, I will be nice to Safie. Thanks." With a chuckle, Biff decides to let her off the hook, it's pretty clear that he's pushing her here.

Seeing his assistant's conversation coming to a close, Igor cuts in, his wise yet creaky voice booming surprisingly loudly. "But dawn comes quickly upon us, Mr. Chanum. Take this opportunity to further your bond with your teammates. Considering the trials you've faced, and the trials you have yet to face, it is a rare time indeed when the lot of you get to enjoy leisure. Be cognizant of the plights of those who have opened their hearts to you, and be open to understanding those of the freshly acquainted. Until we meet again."

Cocking his head slightly, Biff begins to reply. "Freshly acquainted? That's a weird way of puttin' it. Why couldn't you just say Mi-"

And his eyes open again, revealing him to be safely returned to his bed in the Ryleigh's home.

"Damnit."

 _Knock Knock Knock_

"Hideo. Open the door, it's me," Biff shouts loudly, rolling his shoulders as he raises his fist once more.

 _Knock Knock-_

"I said o-"

Mid-sentence and mid-knock, the door to Hideo's home, house 750, opens, revealing Hideo in his casual attire; a blue and red floral Hawaiian shirt and khaki pants. "Geez, Biff, chill, I was coming as quickly as I could. My family was shouting at me about the crazy kid beating our door down."

"You didn't open the door."

The two boys stand there for a very briefly tense moment before Hideo steps back, waving Biff in. "Wh-whatever," He says, gesturing emphatically towards the inside of the house. "Come on in, I'm not quite ready yet."

Biff strides in, shouldering past Hideo and staggering the poor boy. "You're not ready yet? Damnit, Hidi, hurry up. Marquis is already there and we don't want to leave poor Miho on babysittin' duty." He looks around the house as he does so, taking in the comfortably well-done furnishings, the decorations and deep purple color scheme clearly chosen with much care and consciousness. Though what strikes him the most is the fact that the layout of the building appears to be identical to that of the one Biff is currently staying in. "Nice house."

"Thanks…? Uh, well, give me a second. And it doesn't matter if I'm not ready yet, my parents wanted to meet you anyways. I'll be right back." And leaving Biff alone in the foreign home, Hideo scurries off up a staircase.

Sitting on a couch which lies in approximately the same place as the Ryleigh's, across from a television which appears also to be placed identically, are Hideo's parents. The two of them regard Hideo as he jogs loudly up the stairs to his room before turning their full attention to Biff, suddenly making our hero feel slightly out of place, a sensation he responds to unconsciously by puffing up his form and amping up the bravado. "Hello there," Biff says.

Hideo's father, a balding, middle-aged man with thin-framed glasses and an extremely burly build (so much so that it lends Biff to wonder where Hideo got his lankiness from), rises and takes a long stride towards Biff, extending his hand for a shake. "You must be Chanum, Hideo's told us a lot about you."

Biff clasps hands with the man, giving a firm, if not overly so, handshake as he releases a hearty chuckle. "He has? Well, what's the little bastard said?"

Hideo's mother, a woman with very long light-brown hair of the same shade as Hideo's, rises as well. She looks a little startled by Biff's coarse language, but in seeing that he doesn't mean anything by it, she drops the hesitation. "Nothing bad, of course. It's very nice to meet you now."

Reciprocating Biff's chuckle, Mr. Kotchi continues, releasing the handshake. "The first way he described you was 'A really good guy, but also a really brash guy. Please don't tell him I said that.'" After this, both he and Biff break out into bellowing laughter, resulting in Hideo's father clapping our hero on the shoulder.

"Kosaku!" Mrs. Kotchi cries as her husband sells out Hideo.

"What?" Mr. Kotchi wipes away a tear and turns to his wife. "It's funny. And Hideo shouldn't say wimpy stuff like that if he doesn't want to be laughed at. It'll toughen him up."

In response, Hideo's mother just sighs.

"That's what I'm always tellin' him!" Biff cries, bursting into another deep chuckle and slapping Mr. Kotchi on the shoulder in turn. "But that's nothin', you'll love this one: So there's this girl, Mi-"

"Are you Hideo's friend?" Asks a new, evidently younger voice from behind Biff. He turns around in response to see a boy, somewhere in his middle school years, looking simultaneously guarded, defiant, and slightly awkward.

"Oh, hey there, Hayato," Mr. Kotchi bellows, waving his youngest son over. "Chanum, this is Hayato."

Biff turns half away and smiles casually. "Hey, kid. Call me Biff."

Furrowing his brow at being called a kid, though not making a big deal of it, Hayato joins the half-circle of men. Getting a better look at him, Biff sees that he too is a well-built man like his father. Besides that, he's further the opposite of Hideo in that he constantly has a tense, furtive expression upon his face, and his hair is carelessly left down, unlike Hideo's meticulously done up quiff.

"So, anyway, like I was sayin'," Biff starts once more, "There's this girl, Miho…"

"Miho?" Hayato mutters, perking up once he places the name. "Yeah, wait, Hideo mentioned something about her… kinda. He shouted something like 'Miho's on the team!' a couple days back."

"That's right!" Mr. Kotchi roars, slapping Hayato across the back as though he's proud of the recollection. "I remember that now!"

Biff barely stifles a harsh laugh. "H-he did. Eheh... aha! Oh, man! That's hilarious! So yeah, it's this girl Hidi and I know. And uh…"

Mr. Kotchi interrupts this time around. "Hidi? Is that what you call him?"

Biff nods his head slowly. "Yeah, it's a nickname this other girl, Marquis, made up. We really only call him it 'cause it pisses him off."

"He mentioned that Marquis before. Hayato, remember that nickname. We'll have to start calling Hideo it now. What were you saying about this Miho girl?"

The idea of getting Hideo's family to call him Hidi is, frankly, hilarious to Biff, so he breaks out into laughs again. "Uh… aha... so, Miho walked up to us this one time-"

"Biff, I'm ready to go. Come o-" Hideo stomps down the stairs and enters his living room, freezing upon seeing Biff, his brother, and his father all coming down from laughing about something. Most likely him. "Heh… hey, guys… why're you laughing…?"

"Speak of the devil!" Biff cheers, spreading his arms. "Come on, Hidi, let's get goin'. I was just tellin' them about you and Miho!"

Mr. Kotchi chuckles as well and gestures towards the door. "Get going, Hidi," He puts great emphasis on 'Hidi'. "You wouldn't want to be late."

"Miho? H-Hidi?!" Hideo's eyes go fully wide and his face goes a bright red. "You… now they- what? You?"

From behind the men in Hideo's family, Biff's mouth curls into a wide, clearly intentioned smirk directed right at Hideo. "What's wrong? I was just tellin' them how she was our tour guide and we got to be such good friends we're headin' there now."

After having his disposition shift from startled to confused to now defeated in a matter of a second, Hideo pushes past his laughing family, looking incredibly out of place among the burly men, and grabs Biff on the shoulder to try and urge him toward the door. "Alright, come on, I think you've said enough here." Biff, deciding to go along, allows Hideo to guide him to the exit.

"Take care, _Hidi_ ," Hayato says with a grin, inciting his father to burst into laughter once again.

After Hideo forces Biff through the door and slams it shut behind the two of them, he releases a long huff and gives Biff his best attempt at a mean glare.

Pretending not to notice, Biff casually stretches both his arms over his head and turns back to look at the house. "Your family's pretty cool, Hidi."

"I hate you so much," Hideo grumbles, crossing his arms and exaggeratedly putting his back to Biff.

 _Sniff sniff_

Biff inhales deeply as an odd scent suddenly strikes his nose. He takes a moment to place what the oddly pungent, almost flowery odor is. "Hideo… what's tha-" The pieces come together in an instant, and Biff's face scrunches up into utter disdain as they connect. "Are you wearing cologne?!"

Back still turned, Hideo tenses up greatly and tries to keep his face hidden, though Biff can still see the red edges. "N-no…"

Biff shakes his head and paces off toward the sidewalk, leaving Hideo in the dust. "You lovesick bastard…"

"Miho or Marquis, open the door! It's me!" Biff shouts, raising his fist high against the white-painted entrance.

 _Knock Kn-_

As soon as Biff's fist makes contact for the second time, the door wildly swings open and slams into the wall adjacent to it, revealing Marquis standing within, a mischievous grin on her face. This fine evening, considering they're free from school, she wears her black tank top and shorts under a completely unnecessary bandolier and combat belt. That's not to mention the several knives she keeps herself strapped down with. Over all of this is the same loose trench coat she used to hide her arsenal when meeting Biff and Hideo in the real world for the first time, kept unbuttoned. Oddly enough, though, despite changing out of her school uniform, Marquis kept the red ribbon (the one meant to be tied around the neck) on one of her twintails.

She scrunches up before jumping slightly and throwing her arms in the air as the boys recoil in surprise. "Welcome… to Miho's house!" She cheers.

"Nice to see you, too…" Biff grumbles, placing a hand on his head and stepping through the doorway. Both he and Hideo enter and take off their shoes, stepping around Marquis and slowly taking a look around Miho's house.

"Is no one going to give me my celebratory party hug?" Marquis shouts, stomping a foot.

They ignore her completely, instead making note of the facts that firstly, Miho's house structure deviates from the standard Mata copy-paste home, and secondly, there is a complete and utter lack of any homely decorations or personal touches, the color scheme itself consisting primarily of whites and greys. The living room and kitchen of this particular house appear to be significantly bigger than Biff or Hideo's, and as was evident from examining the outside, the staircase up leads to a fully fledged second floor rather than a single bedroom.

"Quite the lovely place…" Biff mutters under his breath before raising his voice as Miho's nowhere to be found. "Miho! It's us!"

"I know!" Miho calls from upstairs, and immediately after saying so, she emerges from the stairwell, adjusting and tightening the white bow around her long pink ponytail. This being the first time Biff's seen her outside of school, he can't help but notice the fact she's wearing a basic pink t-shirt over a black skirt and leggings. "I decided to get changed and stuff since Marquis glued herself to the window to watch for you guys. The second you walked out of Hideo's house she started shouting."

"Hey!" Marquis cries shoving herself through the space between Biff and Hideo-despite there being plenty of room on either side-to get closer to Miho. "I thought what happened during lady time stayed in lady time."

Miho casts Marquis a dubious glance before breaking into a lighthearted chuckle and turning back to Biff. "She was like a cute little dog."

Marquis gasps and steps back, acting as though she had just been despicably betrayed. "Miho...!"

A wry grin slipping its way onto his face, Biff reaches forward and pats Marquis on the head twice from behind a bit harder than he probably ought to. "Good girl." Miho's the only one capable of noticing that Marquis seems to be thinly veiling the fact that she's enjoying it a bit more than she probably ought to.

"But anyways," Biff starts again, shifting his hand back to his side amid Hideo giving him a mildly disturbed look after the pat. His eyes flit up to Miho. "Want to get down to business? We've got some… uh... " Biff hesitates for a moment, glancing around and suddenly becoming conscious of the question as to where Miho's parents are. "...Some _things_ to discuss. Where are your…"

Miho cuts him off, placing one hand on her hip and gesturing dismissively with the other. "My dad's almost never here-he's usually off on some work-related trip or something. So, no need to worry about him getting in the way."

Marquis flinches as soon as Miho's dad is brought up. "Is it true he has pink hair?!" She interjects with a mixture of incredulity and excitement.

Miho cocks her head as though this is an extremely stupid question. "Yeah… why? My whole family has pink hair."

"Woah…" Marquis mutters, her eyes glazing over slightly.

Biff's gaze narrows instinctively for a very brief moment. He gets the feeling she deliberately avoided mentioning her mother, and decides against bringing it up, as he's capable of putting two and two together. In this second, though, Miho's sight shifts back from Marquis to Biff himself, and before Biff drops the examining expression, he picks up a degree of coldness and mutual understanding buried deep in Miho's eyes. "Well, then that's no problem," He says with gusto, blowing away any momentary standoff. "Time to get down to the dirty MIFAS business."

Following Biff's lead, Miho gives her trademark smile-a slight bit of awkward cheeriness and a whole lot of welcoming friendliness-and gestures toward the seating of her living room. Directly across from a standard television lies a long grey couch and two plush, black chairs. "Then take a seat, everyone. Can I get you all anything to drink?"

All three of the current members of MIFAS give some variation of a thankful denial and settle into the seating array. Marquis, who had clearly been waiting for the opportunity, dashes forward before everyone else and dives onto the couch, looking very contented with the uncontested victory. Throwing her outstretched legs onto the ground and forcing her to sit up, Biff settles next to her, placing his feet up on the coffee table before the couch. Miho and Hideo, on the other hand, pull the two black chairs around and place them next to each other, facing Biff and Marquis. With everyone comfortably placed, an uncertain silence passes around the room.

"So…" Miho starts, trailing off as she loses any sort of idea as to how exactly she ought to begin.

"So…" Hideo echoes, truly trying his hardest to be helpful. "...The Dreamlands." He fails.

Placing his hands behind his neck and leaning back into the couch, Biff gives a sort of half-shrug, acting as though discussing alternate dimensions is an everyday issue, which, for him, Hideo, and Marquis, it sort of is. "Throw us some questions and we'll try to answer them. We still have a lot of missin' pieces, but we've got a decent understandin' of the basics."

"Alright… um…" Miho mutters, placing an index finger along her cheek as she thinks about what to ask first. "What… is that place?" She glances to Hideo. "You just called them 'The Dreamlands', right? What are they?"

They spend a while from here going over every aspect of the Dreamlands, and between the contributions of Biff, Hideo, and Marquis, Miho manages to establish a pretty decent idea of what the Dreamlands generally are. Firstly, the group touches upon Marquis' statement that the Dreamlands is a world made from 'dreams and cognitions'-more specifically that the minds of people in the real world have some degree of influence, resulting in the creation of constructs, like the castle they only recently destroyed, and Shadows, like the King or Miho's own.

"Ok, that makes enough sense… kinda," Miho says softly, leaning forward in her seat and bridging her fingers just before her face in such a manner that Biff is put off-guard by its resemblance to the way Igor always sits. "On the topic of those 'constructs', when that bastard Boto showed up, he mentioned something about a place called Celephais containing the secret to beating him. What's that?"

Hideo flinches upon hearing Miho swear, but composes himself before Biff can notice. "It's uh," He hesitates for a moment as everyone's attention shifts to him. "It's this huge-"

"Huge!" Marquis throws in.

Hideo sighs, shaking his head at the interruption. "...tower Marquis showed us. When I say huge, I mean huge as in it stretches so far up that the top is nowhere in sight. There aren't really any clouds in the Dreamlands, so it looks like it just pierces through the top of the sky."

Miho purses her lips at this description and casts a glance towards the other two people in the room. "Ok… well, do we know what's in it?"

"Oh yeah, I went in it once," Marquis says casually.

"You have?" Biff responds immediately, raising an eyebrow as he shifts his weight on the couch to face her. "What'd you find?"

"Uhhhhh," Marquis mumbles, closing her non-yellow eye and thinking it over. "So I woke up one morning and brus-"

"Damnit, Marquis, get to the story."

"O-oh, yeah, so, there's this door on one side with an elevator thing with up and down buttons. I was bored one day so I decided to jump in and push the up button to see what happened. I figured, ya know, even if there's a scary Shadow thing I can just press the down button. So I did it, and the elevator went super far up super quickly, and then after that, it stopped." She puts an odd emphasis on the elevator stopping, apparently thinking this would shock everyone. "So then the door opened up to this, like, weird maze thing with pitch-black walls. I dunno what's beyond that, though, because as soon as I got up I started to feel like there were a bunch of Shadows in the area, ya know, since I have my cool Marquis Shadow-senses. Considering this was before I had my Persona, and I was all alone, and I didn't want to die a horrible death, I figured it was about time to take my leave so I hopped back in the elevator and went right on down."

Hideo scratches the back of his head and grins cheekily at Marquis. "Wow, your story didn't take half an hour this time."

"Well that's because Biff didn't let me give the full version," She jeers, jutting out a lip towards Biff, who still sits by her side, causing her to receive a mean glare in response.

"I'm sure I know the answer, but do we truly have to climb this tower?" Miho asks, raising her pointer finger. After bringing up this specific issue, she glances to her side and catches Hideo's eye, making him slightly flinch in doing so.

"W-well yeah, we don't have a choice as far as I know," Hideo stutters, jerkily turning to Biff as though requesting him to elaborate.

Biff smirks slightly in seeing Hideo's unnecessarily awkward behavior and catches Miho's attention. "Yeah, we do," He asserts. "As much as I hate the rat bastard, Boto forced our hand. Even if he was BS-ing about this 'magic weapon that can beat him', we've got to try and find out whatever it is-and anyways, he seemed cocky enough to be serious about it. Unless, of course, we want to be playing Boto's game for the rest of our lives, and that's assuming we don't screw up one single time and get all of ourselves killed. As it stands, those are our two options, and one looks a hell of a lot better than the other."

With a soft sigh, Miho sits back in her seat looking extremely disconcerted alongside the rest of the group, though she retains none of the slight fear on Hideo or Marquis' faces. "I know, I know, but… damn, I'm mostly concerned about how we're going to be finding the time to safely navigate this maze thing while dealing with whatever shit Boto conjures up, all while living our normal lives. I mean, hell, student council already takes up most of my time."

"We'll have to find a way to somehow. Because if we don't… well, I have no idea how bad it'd be if we fail, but I know for sure a lot of people'd die." Turning now to Marquis, Biff contradicts his somber tone with an encouraging bravado-infused grin. "But this time around, it's not going to be Marquis wandering all alone into Celephais. There are four of us now, and we've all got Personas. With that kind of strength, I'm sure we'll find a way."

"That reminds me of my next question," Miho continues, pushing the conversation forward. "What are these Personas? We all have them, but… where do they come from?"

Marquis sits straight up, placing a hand over her heart and extending the other dramatically. "You see, Miho, Personas are the power of the heart ma-"

Miho waves her hands and scrunches her brow. "No, no, I know they're my heart's power or... something like that... I've got one of my own, after all. What I mean is where do they come from?" Her expectant gaze passes between all three of the others, and upon being met with equally confused expressions, she can't help but get a little frustrated at the ambiguous nature of everything. "So you don't know?"

Biff raises one hand to try and ease the tension. "Not exactly… we don't know what about the Dreamlands causes them to be awakened in us, but it's pretty clear they're all, like, a different form of our Shadows, right? Since all of them entered us after we faced them, and after that, we got our Personas." He looks around the room to get Hideo and Marquis' support, and the two of them nod. "But that's about it."

Miho sighs, bringing her hands up to rub both eyes. "Just another unanswered question I'll have to roll with, I guess," She mutters. Another moment passes before she raises her head again. "So that means all of you faced your Shadows, right?" A very, very weary smile creeps onto her face. "Heh… mind me asking what they all looked like? Mine's whole princess aesthetic was, in retrospect, a bit humorous."

Everyone in MIFAS starts to answer at once but cuts themselves off as they all reach the same conclusion and meet eyes.

"Um…" Hideo finally starts, turning to answer Miho. "Yours was the only one that dressed up. All of ours looked just like us."

Miho goes slightly red in the face, unable to contain her incredulity. "Wh-what? Seriously…?" She groans.

"Yeah!" Marquis chirps. "And all of ours were in this weird mirror-wall thing."

"Wait, how the hell could I forget that?" Biff picks up, slapping a hand against his forehead. "Why were ours in the mirror and Miho's wasn't? Does that mean somethin' we ought to know?" There's a long pause of silence as he, Hideo, and Marquis all reach a second conclusion: they have literally no idea, and no way of knowing. "Damnit!" Biff roars with sudden intensity, slamming a fist on the arm of the couch and making Marquis jump. "These Dreamlands're really startin' to piss me off. We're supposed to fight to the death in them, but we know almost nothin' about 'em. Marquis, do you have any idea? You tend to pull these facts out of nowhere in times like these."

Marquis, who's still a bit startled, simply shakes her head fervently, accidentally sending a twintail sailing into Biff and coming to rest on his shoulder.

"I think the feeling's unanimous," Miho mutters, placing her chin on a propped up hand. "But we obviously don't know, and now that I'm the odd one out it's more embarrassing than anything, so let's move on. Whose Shadow is that King? Where did he come from?"

Biff scowls at Marquis and removes the twintail, throwing it back at her. With surprising reflexes, Marquis catches it and places it gently on her lap before turning to Miho again. "He's a different one. He's like, all the students' Shadows put together, but not like their actual Shadows which were those villager things."

"Damnit," Miho mumbles as it all gets more complicated.

"Apparently Boto, like, 'planted the seed for him to grow', whatever that means. And so, I guess, after that, he grew off of their bad emotions and the proximity to their Shadows, growing stronger and stronger and eventually causing the real-world students to become more and more miserable, which made him more and more strong, which made them miserable and so on."

Hideo pipes in as well. "Did you notice any… uh, degradation of the other kids' attitudes in the past little while? Maybe just this year? We don't know when this all started."

Shifting towards him, Miho slowly answers, thinking it all through. "Did I…? Geez, um, well… I was part of those kids, wasn't I? I must have fed into the King's strength considering the pitiful waste of a person I let myself be. Looking back on it, yeah, so far this year everyone's been rather… dead-eyed and languid. It's… gotten better since we killed that monster, but it's not like the student body suddenly became happy-go-lucky optimists. Not that they ever were."

"Figured as much," Biff utters. "But at least we know it won't get much worse, right? Anything else ya wanted to ask, Fuiji?"

"Yeah, actually…" Miho sits up straight again, her lips pressed tightly together. "I've heard you lot call yourselves 'Miff-Fas' or something. What is that? Your team name?" Looking uncharacteristically meek, Biff runs a hand along the back of his hair and gives an awkward attempt at a laugh. "Uh, yeah, you see, it was somethin' I- uh… we came up with when we started our work in the Dreamlands. It stands for…" He hesitates for another moment, before turning his full body towards Hideo and gesturing towards him. "Hideo, would you like to tell her?"

"M-me? Geez, Biff, when you do that it makes me feel like I should be embarrassed by the name."

Biff furrows his brow in faux anger. "Are you not proud of our team? Not gonna lie, I'm hurt."

Marquis decides to save the day by interjecting loudly. "We are the Mata Improvement Force and Assassination Squad. MIFAS! It's a cool acronym!"

"I see," Miho says slowly, giving Marquis a humored glance. "So you fancy yourselves assassins?"

"Hell yeah!" Marquis cheers excitedly, drawing two of her knives and shadowboxing the air with them. "We're a rogue squadron of hardened killers fighting to protect the whole world." Both of her knives _swish_ through the air, eliciting a spontaneously worried reaction from Miho.

"Hey, no, Marquis, put them back. Damnit, I told you to keep the knives sheathed while you're here. I don't even know why you brought them." Miho facepalms, shaking her head as Marquis gives her the puppy dog eyes while dejectedly-and over exaggeratedly-sheathing her two knives. Breaking her disappointed display, Miho continues. "Well, that's quite the self-image. 'Rogue squadron of hardened killers'... hehe…"

Hideo leans towards her, glancing briefly to Biff. "Please don't take anything Marquis ever says as speaking for the rest of us."

"I know, I know," Miho responds with a chuckle. "I'm just giving you all a hard time."

Speaking up with vigor, Biff cuts into Hideo and Miho's exchange, drawing everyone's attention. "But the real question is whether you want to join our 'rogue squadron of killers'." As soon as he asks, Miho's mildly jovial visage downshifts into an expressionless seriousness. "The 'Improvement Force' part comes from how we plan to do somethin'-though we're not sure what-to keep the emotions of our fellow students from goin' back to the point where they create another Shadow King. More specifically, we want to keep them from bein' miserable again. I'm sure you, as the class president, could seriously help out there. Besides that, you're a damn natural at Persona fightin' if I've ever seen one. I'm sure you could kick Hidi's ass without breaking a sweat with that beast of a Persona you got."

"Hey!" Hideo cries.

"So you'd seriously boost our manpower if we had ya. But most importantly…" Biff leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands, and flashing a rare gentle smile. "I speak for all of us when I say we'd love ta have ya around and as part of our little group. So whaddya say? It's dangerous, it's exhausting, and it's brutal, but there's nothing quite like the thrill of combat. Plus, you'd be saving the world. Not that anyone would know."

"Geez, Biff, you're not really selling the whole Dreamlands thing" Hideo groans, casting an anxious look toward Miho. Just looking at her, it's too difficult to glean any sort of idea as to what she's thinking through her deadpan expression.

"I…" She hesitates before answering, glimmers of uncertainty flickering across her once-detached face. Another moment passes in tense silence, and then Miho's expression hardens, turning first firm, then gently pleased. "...I would love to. You all saved my life, and I'd be honored to join the fight."

"Hell yeah!" Biff and Marquis cheer in sync. Before saying anything else, they both stop and turn to Hideo, looking very expectantly for some sort of response. He's currently just sitting there looking pleased, if not slightly distracted.

"Ahem," Biff says pointedly, not faking a cough or anything, but simply saying 'ahem'.

"O-oh, sorry," Hideo stutters, looking around the room and making eye contact with Miho. "A-ah, I mean… Hell yeah!"

Everyone except Miho lets loose another round of victorious cheers. Once they die down, Miho, with a well-entertained grin on her face, interjects once more. "Is there any kind of initiation oath or ritual I need to perform or something? Isn't that how this sort of thing goes?"

Though it would appear she had toned out the conversation and was too busy playing with her twintails, Marquis answers immediately, as though she had been prepared. "Well, first we'll need a virgin sacrifice."

"Marquis, shut up, y-" Biff starts.

Ignoring him so she can finish the joke, Marquis goes on. "You can use my knife. And Hideo'd be a perfect sacrifice."

"Hnk-" Hideo chokes, not expecting this dig at all. "Wh-what? Why- Sh-shut up!" Biff immediately breaks into roaring laughter, the unsympathetic response driving Hideo to go bright red.. "Why would you say that? I-I…" He glances towards Miho and sees even her holding a hand to her mouth trying to stifle a laugh. Out of options and out of time, Hideo decides to take a page from the noble possum and play dead. He crosses his arms and turns away from everyone, still clearly blushing. "I hate you guys."

Wiping a tear from his eye, Biff responds completely casually, still with a grand smile on his face. "No ya don't, Hidi. But… aheh… Marquis, apologize for callin' Hidi a… hehe… a virgin. Look at how distraught he is."

Marquis places her index finger and thumb on her chin and briefly examines the pathetically red Hideo. "Hmmmm…" Eventually, she nods, extending the hand into a thumbs up and giving a blithely cheery smile. "I'm sorry for calling you a virgin!" She says the apology in a very enthusiastic manner, as though it were a celebration.

"No you're not," Hideo grumbles, dropping his crossed arms and going lax against the back of the chair.

"No, I'm not!" Marquis cheers again, still giving Hideo a thumbs up.

"Poor Hideo," Miho chides, drawing a horrified expression from the poor boy.

"Heh… uh, anyways," Biff starts up again, bringing them all back on track. "We kinda just formed the group when all this started, so there's no, like, ritual or anythin'."

Marquis puffs up her chest and raises her voice to gather attention. "We should all shake hands like that time you boys first came into the Dreamlands. That was super cool!"

"That's going to become our induction ritual?" Hideo asks with a short chuckle. It would appear he's recovered from the Hideo mocking session-he's gotten very used to it at this point. "Well, it's as good as any." Taking point, he rises and extends a hand to the middle of the rudimentary square of Persona users. "Who wants to start?"

"Taking initiative, I see. Nice work, Hidi," Biff comments, standing as well. He sidesteps around the coffee table to get closer to Hideo and Miho.

"It's go time! Cyäegha!" Marquis shouts jumping to her feet.

"Hey, that's my thing. And you- ah, nevermind," Hideo complains, shaking his head.

"What am I getting myself into?" Miho says softly, a gentle smile on her lips despite the words.

"A lot of trouble," Biff comments with a wink before turning to Hideo and throwing out a hand. "Put it 'ere, Kotchi."

"Yes, sir!" Hideo gives a curt military salute before meeting Biff's shake. "Oh ow, geez, loosen up a bit." The grip is much stronger than he expected, almost aggressively so-Biff Chanum doesn't play games.

"To kicking Boto's ass. Together." Biff loosens his grip as he hearkens back to Hideo's words the first time they did the handshaking.

A grin pulls its way across Hideo's face. "Together."

Biff now turns to Marquis, who looks absolutely elated to be handshaking with everyone. "To kicking Boto's ass." He extends his hand and offers it out.

Marquis immediately snaps it up, clasping both hands around Biff's own and shaking fervently. "To kicking Boto's ass. You won't regret deciding to put me on this team. I see great profit in our future."

Biff struggles to yank his hand out of her grasp, having to take a step back and force her to let go before he's free. "You're already on the team, idiot."

Behind the two of them, Miho turns to Hideo and offers her hand. "To new beginnings."

Hideo slowly meets hers and the two exchange a short-lived, though earnestly quiet shake. "To new beginnings," He echoes.

Miho now regards Marquis, opening her mouth as though to speak. But before she actually can, Marquis loudly interjects, jerkily thrusting her hand forward. "To kicking Boto's ass!" She cheers with that familiar blithe.

The ambush catches Miho off guard, causing her to instinctively step back in surprise. Miho gives Hideo a rather spooked look, a reaction which makes the boy chuckle amiably. Shaking her head, Miho composes herself once more and slowly curls her fingers around Marquis' hand. "To kicking Boto's ass." As she utters the condemnation, her lips curl upward-Boto's betrayal has clearly instated a similar lust for revenge. Repealing her hand, Miho turns to the one person left: Biff.

Biff refuses to stick out his hand right away, rather keeping both fists on his hips as he quickly looks Miho up and down. "So this is it; After this, there's no more backin' out-you'll be as much a part of what we do in the Dreamlands as we are. You sure you want to do this?"

Miho's smile breaks down ever so slightly. As in, it becomes less cruel and more soft around the edges. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Heh." Biff lets out a single harsh chuckle. "I'm just makin' sure. Once you join, you're officially a, uh… as Marquis would say: assassin."

"But you made the name up…" Marquis mutters.

"And it won't be easy," Biff continues. "We have no idea what we're going to face, but we do know it'll be dangerous. Any hope you had of livin' a normal life's pretty much out the window."

Miho casts her eyes away, her expression now hardening to a dark resolve. "I understand that. And you can't scare me, Chanum. I've given this plenty of thought, and I wish to see what's been started through to the end. I'd like to think that this power is a chance for me to truly do some good-and I owe you all my life, so really, it's the least I can do."

"You owe us nothin'," Biff growls, drawing her gaze back up. "This is about you. But even Hideo could see you mean what you say." With this last statement, Biff turns the corners of his mouth up into a slightly pleased, slightly cocky smile. "If you promise to fight whatever evil bastards rear their ugly heads, and if you promise to never run away, no matter how shitty things get, well, then you're on the team. There's no goin' back. What'll it be?"

Miho laughs softly to herself once. "Hmph… Chanum, if you think I'd run away then you greatly underestimate me." She pauses for a couple seconds (for dramatic effect). "I promise."

Biff's slight smirk turns into an ear-to-ear grin. "I underestimated nothin'. I was just makin' sure. Now…" Swinging his right hand boisterously in front of him, Biff offers the shake to Miho. "Put it 'ere."

With as much flourish, Miho swings her hand and claps it loudly into Biff, the two of them exchanging an equally firm, equally determined handshake.

"And…" Biff continues, stopping the shaking to stare right down into Miho's eyes. "Call me Biff."

"Whatever you say… Biff."

The members of MIFAS, recently increased from three to four, all erupt into cheers to celebrate the arrival of a new recruit.

"Welcome to the team!" Marquis concludes with a big ol' smile before pivoting on her heel and marching back to the couch to plop down. Following suit, everyone else goes back to sitting down, the thought of how awkward that handshake party must've looked from the outside lingering in the back of each of their minds.

Miho slightly wrings her hands together, looking a bit uncharacteristically restless after her induction. "So, uh… Biff. As the team leader, what'll our first order of business be?"

Biff gives her a rather quizzical expression and pulls back his head. "Team what now?"

"Uh…" Hideo gets Miho's line of thought here and starts to speak up, meeting Biff's narrowed eyes before looking back and forth between him and Miho. "We... don't really have a team leader. We just kinda found the Dreamlands and jumped right in."

Miho appears to be rather appalled by the team's lack of hierarchy. "You- I mean, we fancy ourselves an assassin squad but we don't even have a team leader? Marquis, surely you see where I'm coming from."

Marquis' face remains vacant for a few seconds before slowly contorting intoa petulant anger. "Yeah!" She cries defiantly.

Miho giggles subtly. "See? Now, I think the obvious choice, and my personal nomination, is Biff."

"You want me to be team leader? Seriously?" Biff shifts uncomfortably as he states the obvious. He's not… opposed to the idea, per se, but having it presented like this feels a bit weird.

"Well…" Hideo chimes in, giving a calm grin as his gaze strays back to Biff. "I'd say I kinda maybe agree. I mean, you're the strongest of us all and… well… none of us'd be here if it weren't for you. Hell, I've already followed you just about to the brink of death."

Wordlessly, Biff purses his lips, and while he refuses to show it on his face, he's rather touched by Hideo's assertion.

Miho continues forth. "Exactly. And as far as I can tell, you seem to be completely capable of leading even under our… present circumstances. You're really the natural choice." She pulls a hand up under her chin as she affirms her position, flashing Biff her finest amiable smile.

"Heh." Biff releases a deep, throaty chuckle. "That's a mighty compliment comin' from you, Miss President. I'd think you'd be our leader pick."

"Ah…" Pulling her eyes away from Biff, Miho's demeanor becomes vaguely awkward. "I'm... better at organizing people than anything. I'd be no suit for on-the-fly combat calls and uh… deciding on things that, well…" Unsure how else to put it, Miho conjures an embarrassed smile and continues. "... that really matter, you know? It'd drive me mad. Saving the world and planning the class budget are two different things."

"Huh…" Biff mumbles, a whole new host of questions taking his mind. More specifically, the questions of whether he's worthy, whether he'll do right by his friends when they're placing their lives in his hands, and whether he's actually the right choice all come and go in an instant before Biff tries his best to push them away. Perhaps seeking another input, Biff looks now to Marquis, hoping to see what she thinks of him as their leader. Hideo and Miho do likewise, naturally expecting her to force her opinion in after everyone else has talked.

Marquis doesn't seem to notice them, apparently having tuned out of the conversation and is currently touching the ends of her twintails together very, very slowly. Everyone waits a moment longer before Miho speaks up, trying to draw her attention. "Marquis?"

"Huh?!" Marquis' body tenses and she perks up, looking around the room. "O-oh yeah, sorry." She drops the twintails, leaning back on the cushion of the couch. "I thought Biff was already our leader. Sooooo s'all good. I'll follow him literally anywhere."

"Well!" Miho clasps her hands together and regards Biff once more. "That settles that. I hereby declare you to be the leader of MIFAS."

"I second that," Hideo adds with a grin.

"I thirden that," Marquis also adds, though without a grin. She's too busy playing with her twintails again.

"I…" Biff falters for a moment, shifting his gaze between all of his friends. After a silent second, he finally speaks up. "Yeah… I'll do it." He turns his eyes down, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious. "I uh… thanks for trusting me with this, guys. I sure as hell won't let you down."

"Your wish is our command, boss," Hideo says casually, leaning to the side of his chair. "But there's no need to get so sentimental, tough guy… hehe…"

Biff's head snaps up and he conjures his meanest look possible. "Ay, screw you, Hidiot. Last time I try bein' nice."

Miho stifles a giggle. "Heh… Hidiot…"

"Wh-what?" Hideo glances at her and his expression instantly shifts from confidently nonchalant to pathetically perturbed. He snaps back to Biff. "Why can you make fun of me but I can't make fun of you?"

"Because you're the Hidiot, Hidiot," Biff spits, squinting his eyes angrily.

"Poor taste, Hideo. Poor taste," Marquis chides from the side, to which Hideo simply sighs. "But!" She drops her twintails with the change in tone, standing up and looking to Miho. "I think this cause deserves some victory celebration if you get what I'm saying. Where's your food, Miho? We need food if we're to induct our new member and new leader!"

Without turning her head, Miho points towards the door on the wall behind her. "The kitchen's in there, use what you want, I just bought groceries."

"Sweet!" Marquis cheers, hopping over the coffee table to land in front of Hideo. She offers him a hand. "Get up, Hidi-boy. I'll need help, and it's not right to make our special guests prepare their own celebration food."

"Fair enough," Hideo concedes, grabbing Marquis' hand and pulling himself up. The two of them-Marquis first-then stroll off, entering the kitchen.

With the two fools gone, Biff and Miho are left alone, and Biff can't help but feel now that there's some sort of odd unspoken atmosphere between them. It's not that it's awkward, but he can't really place the feeling.

Attempting to dismiss such pointless thoughts, Biff grins confidently, spreading his hands to Miho. "Welcome to the team! Ya know, I think you're exactly what we needed-dealing with those two by myself was starting to become a handful."

Miho laughs softly. "Yeah, I uh… I get where you're coming from." And with that, she allows the conversation to trail off. After her short statement, Biff starts to pick up on the fact that she's abruptly become rather deep in thought, though before he can analyze it more, she picks back up. "You know, Ch- I mean, Biff, this is the first time you and I have ever actually talked."

"It…" Biff flashes back and realizes that she's right, the fact somewhat explaining the irregular sensation he felt toward her. "It is… I guess you mean besides short sentences in our little group spats?"

She nods, keeping her expression as difficult to read as ever. "And even then, today was the most. Regardless of that..." Miho allows a slight smirk to creep onto her face. "...I meant everything I said back there, you know. I'm very pleased to have you as the leader here."

"Heh…" With one hand, Biff rubs his jaw, not exactly sure how best to take the compliment. "Thanks, I uh… I try."

Before he can come up with anything else to say, Miho interjects hastily. "I know it might sound weird of me to say, but I think you and I are very much alike... in a certain way."

Biff tenses up at the odd claim. Looking back to her, he arches up one of his eyebrows and tries his best to keep it cool. "Hm? Do you?"

She nods again, letting a short moment pass as the two hold eye contact, both of them withholding any show of emotion like some pointless poker game. Finally, Miho continues, leaning back in the seat and gesturing with one hand propped up. "Well, first, I think we both have a pretty decent grasp on the… gravity of our circumstances, and second, I think the two of us are very good at reading others."

Biff casts his eyes to the side and tightens his lips. "It sounds like you think a lot."

"Hmph…" Miho chuckles softly. "Mostly just since my first foray into the Dreamlands."

Looking back at her, Biff continues. "And what about those two?" He flits his eyes toward the door to the kitchen. "You don't think they're the same?"

Miho looks a bit taken aback by the question and hesitates for a moment. During this time, she and Biff can hear Hideo and Marquis' conversation, despite the fact they're clearly trying, and failing, to whisper.

"Marquis, y-you better put the knives away. Miho doesn't want you playing with them in here."

"Aw, quit being such a stick in the mud, Hidiot. It's fiiiiiine. I'm responsible, and even if I'm not, I have you to supervise me!"

"I… Miho's going to be pissed if she sees you flipping them like that. Hey! Quit it! Get away from me!"

With that short exchange, Miho turns back to Biff and gives him an amused, if not slightly sardonic, look.

"Fair enough," Biff growls under his breath.

"It's not a bad thing," Miho says, taking her ponytail in a hand as her demeanor becomes significantly less detached. "They just… I think they're having a lot of fun with the whole superhero aspect of the Personas." With her other hand, she begins rubbing her eyes, releasing a long sigh. "I could never look at the Dreamlands like that. As far as I can tell, that world is nothing but a threat. And while I haven't had much experience, what I've seen was rather cut and dry."

"Ah, they know full well how dangerous the Dreamlands are. Granted, they can be a bit much-one more than the other…" Biff grumbles that last sentence under his breath. "But you have to give them credit-the two of 'em have a lot of heart and'll go anywhere to see this through."

"No, no, sorry, I meant… uh, that it's just a matter of perspective. Trust me, those two saved my life-no, my soul-and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. I just meant that I, and I think you, see it differently. And I think it's been putting a lot of stress on you, far more than you'd ever be willing to admit."

"Hm." Biff leans forward and places his elbows on his knees, his expression instantly becoming much more grave than it was a mere moment ago. "Ya know, you're not the first person to tell me that. And maybe you're right. But it's not gonna change anythin' about the path ahead, so there's no use deliberatin'."

Miho flashes her best reassuring-though slightly awkward-smile despite Biff not looking at her. "Well, uh… If you're ever in the mood to talk, just know I'd be happy to help-it's the least I can do."

Biff chuckles at the offer and looks up to Miho, the wide grin on his face reminiscent of his usual self. "The hell, Fuiji? Since when'd you become my therapist?"

With a shrug, Miho responds. "As I've said before and will keep saying, you three saved my life even after how much of a bitch I was to you. Even if I've known you for only a week or two, you're still the finest friends I've ever had by a wide margin. So, uh… if something's bothering you it's bothering me-it's what friends are for."

Rather than a mere chuckle, Biff laughs heartily, losing any sense of spontaneous dreariness. "Ya know, Miho, every time I hear you swear it throws me for a loop. It sure as hell doesn't fit ya."

"Hm…?" Miho gets that same amused-though sardonic-look on her face. "You're a fine one to call me out for language, Biff. And I'd venture to say killing Shadow monsters in Wonderland doesn't suit me all too well either."

"It fits me, though. I'm allowed to do it." With a grin still on his face, Biff runs both hands through his hair before looking Miho up and down. "You're one hell of a long shot from the Miho I met in the Dreamlands last Monday."

Miho visibly depresses as Biff brings up her Shadow-self once more, and she lets out a soft sigh before giving any sort of response. "Yeah…? Well, I'm trying." Her eyes seem to trace something along the floor as she refuses to meet Biff's gaze. "I'll take that as a compliment, I suppose."

Biff watches her shrunken-in form for a moment then clasps his hands behind his neck and leans back, looking up to the ceiling. "Good, because it was one. Facing your Shadow's no easy business, and you're handling it about as gracefully as possible."

"Heh…" Miho lets out a long breath. "I can assure you, it's all an act. Just like everything else I do, damnit." With both hands, she wipes her eyes and sits back up, looking wholly bleak all of a sudden. "How the hell do you do it? How do you keep it together with that damn Shadow in the back of your mind? I mean, I'm trying to see things differently, I really am. I'm trying so damn hard to change my perspective, but whenever I start to find myself getting pissed at the little things I'm reminded of that Shadow's cold face-my face-and… and its words…" She shifts uncomfortably, obviously having the memory brought to the forefront of her mind.

"One step at a time, I'd imagine," Biff says casually, his brow turning up. "I mean, fightin' one's inner darkness is a bit of a process, you can't really rush it."

"That's not-"

"No, no, I know. I'm just thinkin' out loud." With a short sigh, Biff continues, leaning forward a bit. "Now, you said I'm good at readin' people, right? Well, here's what I read: you're a smart girl, which means you'll just drive yourself nuts overthinkin' this. So what if you're a bit... uh…"

"Bitchy?"

"No. No, quit sayin' that. Seriously. I was goin' to say jaded, but that sounds a bit harsh. Eh, whatever, you know what I'm tryin' to get at." Miho merely nods, quieted after Biff shut her down so fervently. "Anyway, it's part of who you are. The whole point of the Shadow thing was to get you to fight the dark part of you-the part that kept pushing people away and makin' yourself miserable. And trust me, anyone can see that you're tryin' to be a better person just based on how determined you are, even those chumps who idolize you. When I said you're a long shot from the old Miho, I didn't mean on the surface, I meant in your heart, ya know? Just tryin' has got to count for something."

In the wake of Biff's monologue, Miho wipes her eyes once more. Though Biff couldn't see, if she'd been tearing up, there was no evidence left. "Thanks, I uh… that really means a lot." She pauses for another moment, getting caught up in a thought and looking off towards nothing. "I can't help but still feel guilty that I even ended up developing a Shadow… I know it's a bit personal, but what was your Shadow like? I… honestly can't think of what it'd be. Maybe something about bullying Hideo…?"

Biff huffs, a huge grin pulling its way onto his face. "Nah, bullyin' Hideo doesn't make me miserable-I love it. My Shadow… uh… funny thing about that. My Shadow just kinda showed up, told me I was doin' a great job, then turned into a Persona. Real nice and simple, no emotional conflict."

Miho scans Biff's face, looking awfully bewildered at the prospect. After determining he's not lying, she just kind of laughs to herself, sinking back into the seat. "Heh… eheh… of course. Can't say I'm surprised you of all people had the nice Shadow. You know, you still are managing to impress me, Biff."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Miho laughs at the callback to her earlier line. "Good, because it was one. If I'm being honest, I'm glad I've got you to depend on as the leader of our little posse."

"And I'm glad I've got you to depend on as my de facto therapist. Ya know, Miho, since you asked me, it's only fair I offer. If you ever want to talk about the whole 'shift in perspective thing', just let me know. But I do have to say, if I've ever met anyone who could change the way they view the world through sheer will alone, it'd probably be you."

Upon hearing Biff's kind words, Miho smiles what is probably her most genuine smile in a long time. In one swift motion, she stretches her slender hand towards Biff and offers one more handshake. "To MIFAS."

Biff's grin, which never actually left his face, grows even bigger as he claps his manly hand around hers. "To MIFAS." And they shake one last time.

Through Miho's rare vulnerability and grateful words, Biff can sense Miho desire to be free of her darker self, the resolve radiating outwards and giving him hope for the future. As this thought crosses his mind, Safie's soft yet assured voice calls out to him, affirming the glimmer of hope Miho awakened.

I am Thou, Thou art I

Thou hast acquired a new bond.

It shall awaken the passion of thine spirit,

and fuel the flame of thine heart

With the birth of the Hanged Man persona

Thou shalt share the burden of responsibility

In facing the tribulation of thine destiny

Biff can't help but close his eyes as he feels a familiar sense of blissful warmth spread through his whole body, granting him a calming sense of peace. Eventually, as suddenly as it appeared, the warmth fades, finding itself replaced by a tingling sensation of pent-up energy, begging to be released.

The two break their grasp, exchanging one last knowing nod before Hideo and Marquis come parading back in.

Hideo smiles awkwardly, holding in each arm a bowl with chips. "Sorry we took so long, we f-"

"FOOOOD!" Marquis shouts, making Hideo jump.

As Hideo places the bowls on the coffee table, Miho looks down with a dubious expression before up to Marquis. "Why did you need your knives for chips?"

"I-I… uh…" Marquis steps back in surprise. "I have no idea what you're talking about…"

Miho holds her glare for a second before shifting it to Hideo. "I heard you two shouting about it."

Fear strikes Hideo's visage as Miho's icy scowl targets him. "Sh-she just wanted to pull them out. I didn't let her cut at anything, I swear!"

"Mmm…" Miho mumbles, turning back to Marquis with an expression that mockingly asks ' _Really?'_

"Aw man, Hidi you snitch!" Marquis cries, shoulder checking him as she twirls around, strides over to the couch, and jumps on. It's Biff's turn to scowl as he just barely yanks his leg out of the way of her crashing body.

Miho lets out a short sigh, unsure whether to further chastise Marquis and be a dick, or let her off easy and risk her doing something stupid. "Seriously, Marquis, you're gonna hurt yourself throwing those things around indoors." She chooses an answer between the two options.

"Honestly," Biff says, drawing Miho's attention. "You'd be surprised by how good she is with them. Almost as surprised as you'd be by the fact Hideo can use that giant scythe thing without cutting his head off."

Miho gives a slightly awkward, slightly pained smile. "Yeah, I saw her taking on all those Shadows in the Dreamlands, but it still makes me nervous. And odds are she'd end up stabbing herself in a house or something way sooner than in combat, knowing her."

"No way!" Marquis jeers, reaching down towards her belt holster. "Like Biff said, I'm awesome, just look at thi-"

Both Miho and Biff interrupt her at once, shouting, "MARQUIS, NO!" and causing the poor girl to tense up, raising her hands in surrender.

Hideo chuckles off to the side, drawing a knowing smile from Miho. After a moment, Miho speaks up again, addressing Marquis. "You know, there was something I wanted to ask you about, Marquis."

"Shoot," Marquis responds instantly, firing a finger gun at Miho.

"When I was… going through some class files, I saw yours, and noticed that you spell your name M-A-R-Q-U-I-S."

Marquis thinks over this fact for a moment, then nods her head. "Yeah, what about it?"

"But you pronounce it Mahr-kees."

"Yeah?"

"And you're named Marquis, like, after the word for nobility, right?"

Marquis cocks her head slightly. "Is that what it means? I just thought the word sounded cool and went with that for my name." She pauses for a moment. "But yeah, that sounds about right."

"But that word, M-A-R-Q-U-I-S, is pronounced 'Mahr-kee'..." Miho looks between Hideo and Biff for verification that she's not crazy.

Hideo catches her eye then glances at Marquis, appearing faintly awkward. "Yeah, you're right, Miho, but I always thought Marquis' name was spelled, like, M-A-R-K-E-E-S."

"You did?!" Marquis cries, terribly offended by Hideo's misconstrued idea of her name's spelling.

Miho's incredulous expression turns into an amused grin as she gestures with one hand. "So let me get this straight. You named yourself after a word that you didn't know either the definition or the pronunciation of?"

"...Yes," Marquis states confidently.

"Huh…" Miho honestly isn't sure what more to say on the subject. "And you're going to keep it that way?"

"Mm… yes," Marquis states once more. "That's already how I know to pronounce it and I'll just get messed up a bunch if I have to change the spelling. Plus, it's like, my name." She spontaneously turns to Biff, making him ever so slightly jump from the surprise. "Biff, how would you like it if you found out 'Biff' was pronounced 'Beef'? Wouldn't that be weird?"

"...I mean, I guess? That's kinda a stupid example considerin' I didn't randomly decide to name myself Biff."

"Hey, wait a minute," Marquis starts, half-ignoring Biff's response. "How did you know about my origin story, Miho? I never mentioned that…"

"Oh, Biff told me about you when we first got… acquainted after the Dreamlands."

Marquis pulls a betrayed expression onto her face and gasps at Biff. "Biff?! How could you steal my storytelling moment? I've never been so forsaken in my life except for that one time five minutes ago when Hideo ratted me out to Miho."

Hideo squints at Marquis after this comment. "Well, maybe you shouldn't throw your knives around in Miho's house."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be such a Hidiot, Hidiot!"

"Quit calling me Hidiot! It's embarrassing!"

"Why? Because Miho's he-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

As the two start to go at it, Biff and Miho exchange an exasperated look. "They really do this out of nowhere, huh," Miho asks with an airy chuckle.

"Mhm. You'll get used to it, you just kinda have to stay quiet and let it pass."

Hideo starts to get flustered. "W-well, maybe you… uh… you shouldn't um…" And mid-sentence, he stops, his face going from a defiant, defensive protest to sudden dread. "Oh shit."

"Hideo, language!" Marquis cries.

Taking full notice of the change in tone, Miho squints at him. "Hideo? What's wrong?"

"I uh…" Despite his sudden shift to gravity, Hideo still remains slightly red in the cheeks. "You mentioning school stuff and the Dreamlands kinda got me thinking, and I just remembered…" He slowly begins turning his gaze around the room. "The Dreamlands portal was in the practice building, remember?"

"Oh shit…" Biff mutters, getting what Hideo's bringing up.

"And one day when we were going in, we noticed the blinds had been closed from the inside, which reminded us of what should've been obvious: the school has to know about the portal, right? They closed the freaking practice building because of it, after all."

Miho's face melts to dread as well, albeit with twinges of shock, as though she can't believe she hadn't even thought of this fact until Hideo brought it up.

"How the hell did we forget that?!" Biff cries, placing his forehead in his palm. "It was obvious!"

Marquis glances about blinking, quite obviously not understanding the solemnity of this realization.

Hideo continues, "And that raises the question: Who else knows about the Dreamlands?"

Shaking his head, Biff looks to Miho for a response. "You're student council president, Miho. Have you heard anythin' to suggest how common of knowledge this is? I'm gonna guess not…"

"No… no, I haven't." Still looking slightly bitter, Miho crosses her arms and considers the situation. "But thinking logically, if the student body hasn't been talking at all about magic portals, then there can't be too many faculty members who know-otherwise there'd certainly be an information leak. If I had to guess, at the very, very least, the principal knows, and probably some staff member who reported the glowing portal initially, maybe a janitor? There wouldn't have been many people around whenever it opened considering it happened before school started."

Biff nods, slightly impressed by her deductions. "The principal? Don't think I've seen 'em yet."

Miho raises an eyebrow at Biff's claim to have never seen the principal. "Mr. Makanara. He's uh… very serious about his job. I wouldn't doubt his ability to keep the situation under wraps, and… actually… wait, I just remembered Mr. Nemo."

"Mr. Nemo?" Hideo asks.

Marquis feels like she doesn't have much to add here, so she decides to try and help the best she can. "Mr. Nemo?"

"Yes, he was the janitor at Makisini High for at least a decade, but apparently he was replaced sometime before this year started. I'd heard rumors of him getting fired, but that's about it."

Biff's brow scrunches down low. "You don't think…?"

"I… don't know. Mr. Makanara has always been stern, but it's hard to imagine him destroying someone's career to get rid of witnesses. Of course, this is all speculation."

"Of course," Biff echoes, easing up a bit. "But still, the idea of havin' a buncha people know about the Dreamlands has me on edge. Miho, is there any chance you could try ta' figure out what exactly he knows? And if he knows about us?" Biff gestures to the rest of MIFAS. "I get the feelin' that the proper authorities would try to keep us away from the Dreamlands if they knew of our… uh… Persona-based activities. And I'm pretty sure that'd spell trouble if some ignorant adults tried to control the situation-especially since I think Boto wants us as his playthings."

Miho nods, albeit with a twinge of uncertainty. "I… could try. I'm not exactly the closest to Mr. Makanara, that title'd probably fall to the vice president: Akito Takagi."

"Oh, I know that name!" Hideo pipes up. "That was, uh, the other guide on orientation day."

"Mhm," Miho mutters. "So I'll see. But that leads me to something else I was thinking of."

"And what's that?" Biff asks.

"You all said this is an 'Improvement Force' as well as an 'Assassination Squad', right?" Everyone nods in response. "Well, why don't I recruit you all for student council? If you're going to try and improve the school to keep that King from coming back, it'd be a hell of a lot easier if you have the school's support behind you. Plus it'd make it easier to find out what the administration knows about the Dreamlands."

Miho's proposition comes across to everyone as entirely sudden and quite the commitment. Seeing their hesitation, she continues with a sigh. "I won't make you do paperwork or anything, how about that? Strictly MIFAS business disguised as student council work."

Biff, Hideo, and Marquis exchange uncertain looks for a few seconds before Marquis gets a mischievous grin and gives a big thumbs up. "We'll do it!"

"Marquis, you can't just sign us up like that," Hideo protests. "But… yeah, sure, let's do it."

The two of them look to their newfound leader, Biff, for the final word. He chuckles for a moment before speaking. "Sure, Miho. You've got three new council members." In response to this, Marquis releases what she believes is an appropriately timed cheer. No one else joins her, and she feels particularly meek when they all give her quizzical looks.

The party's festivities continue for a few hours more, during which they eat the majority of the snacks in Miho's house, listen to Hideo and Marquis bicker over stupid things, and watch the original _The Gleaming_ movie, which Marquis assures everyone she can totally handle after having made it through the sequel. She could not, and once again spent the majority of it clinging to Biff's arm. This made Biff pissed off.

"So, Miho," Hideo begins after moving the chair he was sitting in back to a position facing Biff and Marquis' couch-they had to turn the chairs around to all face the TV. "Since you're now a certified Shadow killer, it'd probably be best if you carried some sort of weapon into the Dreamlands. You know, like how Marquis has all those knives, I've got a scythe, and Biff's got… uh… a stick."

"A club," Biff growls bitterly without even looking at Hideo. The reason he's not looking at Hideo, and part of the reason for the rage is because Marquis is still latched onto his arm, and he's trying to force it out-this being the second time, it's really starting to piss him off. He lowers his voice to avoid making too much of a scene. "Marquis, damnit. Let. Me. Go."

"But Biff, you saw what happened in the movie. How am I supposed to forget about what happened to that poor, poor girl? And all the parts of that poor, poor girl? All the parts of her that got chopped up!" Though Biff isn't sure if she's just being a moron intentionally, she genuinely sounds distressed, even more so than after they saw _The Gleaming 2_.

"It was just a movie, you idiot. Let me go." Biff wrenches his arm to the right then the left in a bid to shake her off. Her iron grip stays tight, and she just moves along with him.

"But the blood looked so real! Are you sure it wasn't a documentary?"

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Suddenly realizing how his plight must look from an outsider's view, Biff glances up to Hideo and Miho and sees them both staring awkwardly at him and Marquis, clearly unsure of what to say.

"Are… you two doing alright over there?" Miho says slowly with a very clear 'what the hell is going on?' expression on her face.

"Y-yeah," Biff stammers. "She's just, y-you know, being an idiot." He lowers his voice down to a growl once again. "Marquis, quit it."

"Noo, I can't, Biff! The beginning of the movie said this was all based on a true story, and since he escaped, that means the killer's still out there!"

"Damnit," Biff curses, turning himself as much as possible to face Marquis and placing his free hand on her shoulder, using it to force her off. "I'll give you something to be scared of if you don't let. Me. GO!" With a defiant shout, Marquis releases and flops dramatically to the other side of the couch, looking now both disappointed that Biff cast her out and terrified of the movie. Regardless, she lies languidly against the couch arm.

"L-like I was saying…" Hideo continues, slowly turning away from the jarring display. "Have any… uh... ideas, Miho?"

"Well, I'm not much of a fighter, so to speak," Miho says, stealing a glance at Biff, who appears to be attempting to cover up mild embarrassment with his usual gruffness. "And I'm sure I'll be able to protect myself with my Persona."

"You never know," Hideo responds with a short sigh, shifting in his seat as he flashes back to his past fights with Shadows. "Just in case your Persona gets tied up or something, it wouldn't hurt to have a backup."

"Yeah." Biff clears his throat, feeling terribly awkward upon speaking up. "It doesn't have to be somethin' as… showy as Hideo's scythe, just somethin' you can stab a bastard with. A sword never hurt no one." "I don't think that's true at all, but I get what you're saying," Miho responds. "I'd be fine with something small." "Knife!" Marquis chirps from her prone position.

"No, I… Heh… it's a bit stupid to say, but I wouldn't want to use someone else's choice of weapon. I don't know, but if I'm going to have something I'd want it to be unique. I'd be fine with something as simple as a handaxe, and all I'd have to do is drive the sharp end into the bad guy, right?"

Biff grins and crosses his arms. "Fair enough. None of those fancy tricks Hideo attempts to pull off, eh?"

"Why do you keep making fun of my scythe? I think it's cool…"

Miho grins back at Biff in response, ignoring Hideo. "Exactly."

"You too, Miho?"

Biff chuckles heartily and turns to Hideo. "Hey, it's not our fault you try n' pirouette with your big ass scythe, Hidiot."

Hideo raises his hands defensively, frankly unsure of how to defend his technique. "B-but I have to do that! That's how the weapon works-it's momentum-based! Otherwise, I'd just be jabbing at things with a long stick!"

Biff's cocky smirk grows. "Nah, Hidi, that'd be perfectly fine. A stick's a real man's weapon-just about as straightforward as you can get."

From Biff's side, Marquis flips her position and now lies against the back of the couch, facing him such that she can join in. "Hey, Hidi's spin moves work. You know what they say, if the horse ain't broke, don't fix it."

"I… don't think that's what they say," Miho corrects softly, giving an amused giggle.

Biff concedes, surrendering as he is now outnumbered. "Fair enough. Keep fightin' the good fight, Hidi. On another note, what time is it?"

Hideo fishes into his pocket and pulls out his phone. "Mm… About 9:15… almost time for me to head back home."

"You poor boy. The Ryleighs don't really care how late I'm out, as long as they know," Biff adds. He pauses for a moment before tensing up as a realization comes to him and he turns to the girl to his right. "Hey, wait, Marquis… doesn't your-"

After being informed of the time, Marquis immediately went wide-eyed and rigid, looking suddenly shell-shocked. With Biff's address, she breaks out of it and jumps to her feet, shouting. "MY TRAIN! OH NO, MY TRAIN! THE LAST ONE LEFT! I'M TRAPPED!"

"Damnit, Marquis," Biff curses, covering his closest ear as she starts her screaming.

"Well everyone, it was nice knowing you but looks like this is where the adventure ends. I'm gonna have to sleep out in the cold tonight, and will most likely catch pneumonia and die." Despite her words, which sound half like a joke and half like her just being dramatic, Marquis' face is twisted into a mournful scowl, as though she had just lost a dear friend. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a bench to sleep on, goodbye." And she begins strolling towards the door.

"Damnit, Marquis," Miho curses as well, echoing Biff. "You don't have to sleep on a bench." She sighs briefly. "You can sleep here tonight if you want."

Marquis freezes mid-stroll and turns around, a startled yet genuinely thankful grin on her face. "I can? You really mean it, Miho? We get to have a ladies' slumber party?"

"We…" Miho sighs again before breaking into an amused smile as though she were playing with a child. "We get to have a slumber party, yes. I have a spare inflatable mattress you can use."

"Yes!" Marquis cheers, thrusting a fist in the air. "Wait, but how am I supposed to shower in the morning?"

"Uh… I have a shower?" Miho responds hesitantly.

"Sweet, Miho's house is even better than I thought!" Marquis whirls around to face Biff. "Well now, if you boys will excuse us, the ladies have some official lady business to attend to."

Biff begins to rise, now towering over Marquis, who had been trying to boss him around, causing her to visibly shrink. "Yeah, sure, it's about that time anyway." He begins strolling toward the exit, waving Hideo over as he does so. "Goodbye, Miho, thanks for havin' us."

"My pleasure," Miho responds, standing next to Marquis. "Thank you, for… everything." To this, Biff only gives a knowing smile.

Hideo begins following Biff's wave, and rises as well, though he stops in front of the two girls. Seeing them next to each other is rather odd, considering the vast differences in demeanor. More specifically the way in which Marquis' puffed-up chest and habit of posturing despite her petite frame contrasts with Miho's natural friendliness and ability to be both laid-back and welcoming at once. "Take care, you two. See you Monday," He says after a moment.

"You too, Hideo," Miho says with her incredible power of sounding kind. She claps him softly on the side of the arm, inspired by the way Biff does it to him all the time. "Soon enough we'll be right back to killing Shadows. Take it easy on your day off."

"What? With the threat of life and death combat over my head? Yeah, relaxing'll be no problem."

Marquis sees Miho pat Hideo's arm and feels the need to do it as well, however, hers is more of a slap, making a loud clapping noise and eliciting a yelp of both pain and surprise from Hideo. "I'll see you soon, Hidi-boy. Who knows? I'm close enough, maybe tomorrow I'll stop by your house. You didn't let me meet that your family of yours, Hidi. Don't lie to me, I know they exist."

"You… no…" Hideo mumbles, rubbing his arm and taking a step back to avoid being assaulted again. "Of course they exist, you idiot. But stay far back. Last time you showed up at my door was a disaster."

Miho looks slightly confused, wondering what the connotations of that last bit are. She glances at Biff and mouths 'last time?' He simply shrugs.

"Come on, Hidiot," Biff calls again. "Let's leave the ladies to their private party-you've got a family to attend to."

"Geez," Hideo grumbles, waving once more to the girls and walking towards Biff. "I live literally a minute away, cut me some slack."

"Never," Biff adds, keeping an entirely straight face as the two of them step out the door.

Biff glances back to catch Marquis waving from inside and shouting, "GOODBYE, BOYS, SEE YOU SO-" He doesn't get to hear the rest, considering Miho shuts the door.

Biff chuckles briefly before turning away from the closed door and slapping Hideo across the back. "Well, Hidi, your wish came true. Miho's part of the team."

"Eheh…" Hideo gives a goofy-if not awkward-grin and flits his eyes away. "Yeah, I uh… I think she'll be really helpful in a fight…"

Biff purses his lips cheekily and raises an eyebrow, starting to walk towards Hideo's house. "Don't bullshit me, Hidi. Hell, you can be as happy as you want-I've seen the way you look at her, you dumb bastard."

"I-I…" Inexplicably, Hideo starts to look more guilty than anything. "What… what're you talking about…?"

"You know what I'm talkin' about," Biff responds nonchalantly. "Marquis and I make fun of you all the time for it, but just this once, man to man, can you be straight with me? Do you have a thing for Miho?"

Hideo makes a choking noise and turns away, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I uh… I dunno, Biff, I…"

"Whaddya mean you 'don't know'?"

"I mean… well…" Hideo glances back towards Miho's house then back to Biff. "This is between us, right?"

"Of course, Hidi. My lips are sealed."

"Uh-huh…" Hideo lets out a long sigh. "Well… when I first met her, I mean, I thought she was hot as hell, right?"

As though it were completely normal, Biff nods his head firmly and responds, "Right."

"But then there was that whole thing with her turning on Marquis and then… the Dreamlands and after that, I didn't really know what to think about her."

Deciding it's time to ease off teasing him, Biff's expression clouds over. "I don't think any of us knew what to think about her."

"Yeah, exactly…" Hideo sighs again. "Honestly, she scared me. It might sound stupid, like I'm just being a... Hidiot, but hearing that she had only been nice to me to try and get information, then finding out that she thought we were all… uh… impertinent whelps…"

"Hoo, big word."

"I felt betrayed. Which is stupid, because it's not like… not like we were actually close or anything, but… I dunno."

"Nah, I get'cha Hideo. She's really good at givin' off that reliable feelin', like you can trust her, and to find out otherwise…" Biff lets out an airy laugh. "I felt a bit similar if only 'cause I was surprised." There's a moment of silence between the two. "Whaddya think of her now?"

"Like I said, I don't know." Hideo's posture sags and he visibly shrinks. "Like, the day she came back after facing her Shadow, she was trying so hard to be different. And today, she clearly was trying to treat us like friends, which might not sound like much said out loud, but… well, you saw her in the Dreamlands, Biff."

"No, I get you."

"And I admire her for that, I really do, but… but I dunno, it's weird to have my opinion of someone shift so drastically so often... "

Biff's cheeky grin begins to pull its way back onto his face. "Then what's up with you actin' so flustered around her?"

"I… geez, Biff." Hideo turns away again. "I dunno, I just… I feel… I don't even know how to put it, Biff. It's like when I see her, and that trademark smile of hers, I don't know what to do, like my brain shuts off."

"Hm hm…" Biff chuckles to himself, and claps his hand on Hideo's shoulder without another word, not expecting him to continue.

But Hideo does continue. "And… that scares me. Biff, I don't want to 'have a thing' for her."

Biff tenses up and drops his hand, turning to look Hideo in the eyes. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I… even if I knew how I felt about her, I… don't think I'm worthy of a relationship. With anyone."

"Not worthy?" Biff squints, trying to get a better read on Hideo. "You think you have to slay a dragon or something to prove your worth?"

"No, no, I… it's just, after… my Shadow, I still don't feel like I can say I'm a good person. Like, I'm trying, I really am, but I don't know how I should be trying. And honestly, I don't know if I'm making any progress."

"How the hell do you measure your progress? The good person-ometer?"

"No, I'm not saying there's some standard… I just… like, the other day when you invited me to the ramen shop to eat, I briefly considered blowing it off and heading home for the day, but then I caught myself and decided to let you drag me along."

"What do you mean by 'caught yourself'? That makes it sound like you were doing something wrong."

"I was! That's exactly what my Shadow was telling me about: being apathetic! The whole problem, and the reason my Shadow existed, was because… I never truly cared about anything, especially not the people I called my friends. I'd always blow them off or make some excuse to get out of spending time with them, just because I was too apathetic to even try and get closer to them. I… when I start feeling apathetic, even if I don't act on it, it makes me feel like I haven't truly changed. Like I'm just… pretending…"

After Hideo's monologue, Biff lets out a long breath of his own. "You're a real stupid bastard, you know that, right?"

"Wh-what? Biff, I was trying…"

"I know what you were trying to say. But listen to me." Biff steps in front of Hideo and keeps him from continuing forward. They're currently directly in front of Hideo's house. "This fucking doubt thing is really starting to piss me off." He points a finger right at Hideo's face. "You know what a bad person doesn't do, Hideo? They don't risk their life on a regular basis to try and protect people who can't protect themselves."

Hideo raises his hands in surrender and steps back. "But I… I'm only going into the Dreamlands to try and redeem myself, that…"

"Are you trying to convince me you're a bad person, Hideo? 'Cause it's not working." Biff huffs. "Yeah, that's what you told me, I know. And even if that were true, which I'm not convinced it is, a bad person wouldn't risk their life regularly to try and become a good person. That's not how it works. I was just tellin' Miho this exact same thing: after facin' your Shadow and decidin' to continue fightin' your darkness, trying has to count for something, right? It seems like a pretty clear sign that you actually are changin', because that old person, the Hideo made miserable by his Shadow, sure as hell wouldn't even try."

"I…" Hideo starts to look away.

"You what? Are you going to try and tell me how not feelin' like eating pasta makes you a bad person? Because I'd say the whole life riskin' stuff outweighs it by a hell of a lot. Even if you feel like you were being apathetic, the fact that you caught it and decided not to act on it shows exactly how you've changed. But besides that, we literally almost died a couple days ago-it's completely reasonable to want to take a day off. Hell, Hideo, do what you want! I just wanted to get some ramen, not start a moral crisis! You're not a bad person for wanting to take a day off or two! It sounds to me like you've got a pretty simple choice to make..." With this mildly menacing line, Biff lets a harsh silence fall before continuing. "You've either got to decide you want to be this 'good person' you keep talking about, or if you want to convince yourself you're just a bad person who's pretending, but the thing is, you can't pick both. So decide, Kotchi, and decide quick."

Hideo's shoulders sag even more, such that it appears almost comedic on his tall and lanky body. "Alright, you… you're right, I…" He starts to chuckle, a response which startles Biff because of how unexpected it is. "You know… you've got a weird way of doing it, Biff, but you're really helpful. I… uh… thank you. I think I'd probably go insane if I didn't have you here to call me a Hidiot. I… think I've got some things to think about."

Biff reaches out and claps Hideo on the shoulder once more. "I will always call you a Hidiot." He drops the arm, taking a step back. "But as I was saying, don't let your good vs. bad crisis get in the way of you being happy, man. If you've got a thing for Miho, go for it."

Hideo purses his lips and looks to the side. "I… still don't really know, but I'll get back to you on that."

Biff laughs heartily. "Alright, man." Feeling like it's time to make the mood a bit lighter, Biff grins devilishly. "But if you're not sure on Miho, whaddya think about Marquis?"

"Wh-what?" Hideo stammers. "What about her?"

"Aw come on, I mean, what do you _think_ about her? You two seem to have that whole 'flirting through teasing' thing going on. Come on, she's cute."

"Ohh no, oh no, oh no." Hideo waves both of his hands defensively. "No way. She's the most annoying person-Shadow-thing I've ever met."

"Hideo, I think you're just hidin' from your true passion."

Hideo raises his eyebrows, still waving his hands. "No, definitely not. I mean, after the kiss and all we agreed we are nothing but friends." He freezes with that last sentence, his eyes widening in shock. "I uh… the…"

Biff's expression instantaneously shifts from languidly amused to angrily defiant. "What the hell? What did you just say? The kiss?" He takes a step forward, trying to posture up on Hideo. "You can't get out of this, Hidiot. What was that?"

The posturing works, and Hideo shrinks before Biff's significantly more well-built frame. "I uh… it's nothing, slip of the tongue, I… hehe…"

"Don't lie to me, boy. Answer the question. What was this about the kiss?"

Hideo's visage takes on that of a cornered animal and his eyes start to dart about. Seeing flight to be a poor decision with Biff right in front of him, he sighs, looking utterly defeated. "O-okay, I… I'll tell you." He cringes as he gives in, very clearly starting to regret this decision. "But... we'll probably want to sit down. It's… a long story."

"Well, good thing we're right at your house. Start moving." Biff points towards Hideo's home, and with the firm command, the poor boy starts marching towards it.

"We swore we'd never talk about it…" Hideo begins to protest. "She'll kill me if she finds out…"

"Too bad, keep moving." Biff gives Hideo a light shove, urging him to pick up the trudging pace. "This is what a slip of the tongue costs you."

The two silently enter Hideo's front door, and within, Biff once again can't help but notice that this house, besides decorations and paint, is identical to the Ryleighs'.

"Please don't be shouting, Biff. My parents and little brother have probably already gone to bed."

"Hmph," Biff grunts. "I was hopin' I'd get to see 'em again, but perhaps it's for the better they aren't present for this interrogation. Now sit down."

Hideo sits at one end of the dinner table and Biff begins to pull out the chair at the other, but stops, getting a malicious smirk on his face. "Hey, Hidi, any chance you've got a large rag and a bucket for water around here?"

Hideo goes wide-eyed once more and starts to scoot his chair back. "Y-you don't have to waterboard me, I'll answer your questions." He lowers his voice and mumbles, "I'm already done for, anyway…"

"That's the spirit," Biff says, now grinning in a manner that is both falsely amiable and terribly menacing. "Now, tell me everything."

Hideo releases an extended sigh for several seconds. "Alright… it all started on the fifteenth, a Sunday, when we were taking time off the Dreamlands to prepare for facing the King. Marquis showed up at my house early in the morning…"


	12. The Adventures of Hideo and Marquis

"Aw, look at 'em walking side by side. Real good chaps, eh, Miho?" Marquis chirps, having braced herself against the back cushion of the couch so she can lift the blind and peer out the window to watch Biff and Hideo leave.

"Chaps?" Miho asks rhetorically with an amused smile on her face. While Marquis spies on the two boys, Miho picks up the empty trays and bowls left on the coffee table and begins carrying them into the kitchen.

"Yup. Real good ones." Marquis pushes herself further against the window to try and see better. "Ooh, looks like they're having a serious chat." With a mischievous grin pulling its way across her face, Marquis leans back from the window to shout at Miho. "I wonder if they're talking about us!"

"I doubt it," Miho sighs back from the kitchen. On the inside, she's not sure whether she can handle a night alone with Marquis, but it's rather late for such thoughts. "Why are you watching them again? You were doing it when they arrived, too."

"'Cause they walk funny-they've both got that slight swagger going on," Marquis responds nonchalantly, putting her face back up to the window. "Ooh, now Biff's hollering at Hideo. He probably said something stupid." As she squints to try and get a better read, her expression becomes less blithe and more concerned. "O-oh, he looks pissed." She purses her lips. "Must've been something _really_ stupid."

Miho, finished with the dishes, starts to enter again, Marquis' report slightly worrying her. Upon noticing the sight of her up on the back of the couch with her face pushed to the glass of the window, she dismisses the malcontent with a light giggle. "You really like those two, don't you?"

Marquis turns back to face her with a bright smile on her face. "Mhm. They're all I have, after all." She starts to return to her post at the window but stops halfway and moves her eyes to Miho once more, her grin growing even further. "And now you too, Miho. Which is good-the sausage party was getting to be too much to handle."

"The…" Miho's visage becomes very perturbed due to Marquis' choice of words. "That was a really odd way of putting it."

"Well, it's the truth. Now I can discuss lady stuff with someone." Marquis finally goes back to looking out towards Biff and Hideo.

"Lady stuff?"

Marquis shrugs without turning. "I dunno. But it's good to know, right?" Without offering Miho a chance to respond, she suddenly gasps. "No way! Now Biff's slowly leaning in for a kiss! Oh my, how scandalous, they're… Hidi's reciprocating! I can't believe what I'm seeing now!" She covers her eyes with her hands. "How shameful!"

"What the… what are you doing?" Miho responds reproachfully. "Are you making a joke or something?"

"Ye." Marquis slides off the back of the couch and sits down to face Miho across the coffee table. "They just went into Hidi's house. No making out or anything." She gasps again. "Maybe they're having a slumber party, too!"

"I doubt that," Miho responds hesitantly, scratching at her jaw. "If they wanted to continue hanging out, they could've spent the night here."

Marquis gasps even more dramatically than the last two times. "A co-ed slumber party? Now you're just talking crazy."

"What?" Miho squints back at Marquis, giving her a rather condescending look. "You trust them with your life in the Dreamlands but you don't trust them not to be pervs at a sleepover?"

"Well…" Marquis goes slightly red upon being called out and squirms in place. "Boys are savage animals, y-you never know."

Never having seen Marquis squirm in this faintly Hideo-esque manner, Miho decides to push it to see how far she can go. In doing so, she amps up the dubiousness. "If anything, I'd worry about you and Hidi under the same roof."

Marquis goes wide-eyed, a faint sense of horror creeping into her expression. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you two do nothing but flirt, after all. The teasing is a rather weak disguise."

With her amazing ability to shift on a dime, Marquis responds in the one way Miho never expected: with laughter right to her face. "Ha… haha! HAHAHAHA~~" She breaks out boisterously, causing Miho to shrink back in surprise.

"What? Why are you laughing?"

"Hoo!" Marquis wipes away a tear from her gleaming yellow eye. "Me and Hidi? Please! That's impossible-he's The Hidiot!"

"But you…"

"Heh… haha… trust me, Miho. We are very much bros. Plain and simple bros. I mean…" Her grin gives a subtle shift from mischevious to devilish and she leans in. "That does remind me: I have a story."

Due to the constant shifts in tone as well as the fact that Marquis is offering to tell another one of her stories, Miho naturally responds very hesitantly. "A story…?"

"Yeah, about the time Hidi and I kissed."

Miho scoffs. It's now her turn to go wide-eyed. "You what? Seriously?"

"Well, only because we were forced to. Listen up: So I woke up on the morning of… I think it was the 15th which was… a Sunday. Anyways, I took a shower, brushed my hair, brushed my teeth, too…"

Biff pivots the lamp he found such that it flashes painfully into Hideo's face. "Where were you the day of the 15th, Hidi?"

"Geez, Biff," Hideo grumbles, holding up his hands to defend against the light. "This isn't a police interrogation. And I was telling you that but you interrupted me." He reaches around and flicks off the lamp, plunging the boys back into the otherwise dim-and vaguely menacing-light of Hideo's kitchen table.

"Then go on, tell me about this kiss."

"She's going to kill me if she knows I told you, Biff. I… please don't make me-"

Biff huffs loudly, interrupting him as he leans back in his seat. "Don't care. Tell me."

"I…" Hideo sighs. "Ok. It was Sunday the 15th, and I woke up…"

Hideo Kotchi wakes up and takes a deep breath, waits a moment, then slowly releases it. With waking comes the recollection of the fact that he-and his friends Biff and Marquis-are going to have to face the Shadow King who has been plaguing Makisini High, and it promises to be their greatest and most dangerous fight yet. But it's his day off, and he plans to spend it as a time for mental preparation and leisure.

Hideo lies in bed staring at the ceiling for a little while longer before finally getting out, heading into the shower, and preparing for the day. After finishing up in the bathroom, he returns to his room and dresses, putting on his regular khaki pants and red and blue floral Hawaiian shirt, not even stopping to consider why everyone in the Persona world wears the same outfit every day. Finished there, he heads downstairs, finishing buttoning his shirt as he crests the bottom. And just about the instant he sets foot on the ground level, there's a forceful knock at the door, the intensity akin to someone trying to break it down.

 _Thunk Thunk Thunk Thunk Thunk_

"Hideo?" His mother calls from within the kitchen. "Could you get the door?"

"Sure!" Hideo shouts back, heading towards the front exit.

"Thanks, sport," Mr. Kotchi responds, also from the kitchen.

Looking around the living room, Hideo doesn't see his brother, so he assumes he's either left or is in his room. Regardless, he approaches the door, twists the handle, and slowly opens it, already beginning to greet whoever's there. "Hell-" Mid-word, he cuts off, seeing Marquis standing right outside, her fist raised to continue knocking. She wears her usual overcoat over a tank top, shorts, and combat gear, the only new bit being an oversized duffle bag slung across her back.

As soon as she sees him, Marquis assumes a more gutsy pose, spreading her arms out as though she were expecting a hug. "Hello, Hidi! I can't believe we ran into each other like thi-" And she, too, is cut off mid-word as Hideo lunges forward and pushes her away from the door, closing it behind himself. "Oof," She grunts.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He hisses, furrowing his brow as he glares down at her.

"I'm coming to visit you, duh." She leans to his side, looking towards the now-closed door. "Is your family in there? Can I visit them, too?"

"You can't… you… no, no. How did you find me?" Hideo begins getting flustered, bringing a hand to the bridge of his nose as he tries to figure out how to keep his family from the disaster of meeting Marquis.

"Weeeeeell, you see, Hidi, you remember that one time yesterday when you, Biff, and I were walking home from school?"

Still with his hand gripping his nose and his eyes closed, Hideo nods.

"And do you remember when you turned on to your street and we went our separate ways?"

"Yes," Hideo mutters bitterly.

"Weeeeeell, here's the funny thing. You'll find this hilarious. You see," Squirming in place, Marquis clasps her hands behind her back as she continues. "I didn't actually go home. Crazy, right?"

Hideo pauses for a long moment before dropping his hand and scowling at Marquis. "You stalked me to my house?"

"No, no! Not stalked!" She pleas, conjuring a wide, awkward grin. "It's not stalking if I planned to show up at your door the next day."

"You- yes it is stalking! That's exactly what stalking is!"

"Oh…"

"And why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Hideo cries, throwing his hands up. Immediately after, though, he flinches, realizing he probably ought to keep his voice down, so he lowers it to a hiss. "You could've asked!"

"Well, yeah, I could've, but you see, I asked Biff if he wanted to hang out today but he just laughed and said 'Hell no. We just went to the Dreamlands. I want to sleep in.'" She motions choppily with her hands as she narrates the speaking to Biff process, then when reciting the quote of his, she puffs up her chest and raises her shoulders, attempting to mimic Biff's posture and gravelly voice.

Hideo sighs once more. "Ok, but then why didn't you ask me?"

"Weeeeeeeell." Moving her hands behind her back again, she leans on her heels then forward again. "I was going to, but then I realized you'd probably respond the same way, and I decided to just show up."

"You…" Hideo trails off, unsure of how exactly he ought to respond to Marquis. Like, he feels it's a serious dick move for her to show up and expect him to go along, but the way she says it feels so innocent that he can't bring himself to actually lecture her. "You… Marquis, you can't do this. I was planning on hanging out with my family, I mean…" He lowers his voice further, getting a bit wistful. "We might die tomorrow…"

"Heyyy…" Marquis starts to look a bit guilty, so she slaps him on the arm to try and rile the boy up. "We don't need to worry about dying just yet. And what I have planned will get you back home in no time, so you'll still be with 'em!"

Hideo shakes his head to try and dismiss the depressing thoughts of their potential imminent demises. "Ok. Maybe. But it depends on what you 'have planned'."

"So, you know those weapons we bought from Mr. Abe?" Hideo nods in response. "Well, they should be ready right about…" Marquis lifts up her right hand and looks at the wrist as though examining a watch despite the fact that there's no such watch. "...now, so I want to bring them into the Dreamlands. That way we don't have to get them right before going after the King."

Hideo instinctively takes a step back, accidentally bumping his head into the door behind him as he does so. "You… ow… you want to go into the Dreamlands? Seriously? That doesn't sound like it'll have me home in no time. And what if we run into dangerous Shadows or something? We won't have Biff..."

"Aw, come on, Hidi-boy." With Hideo taking a step back, Marquis takes a coy step forward, keeping him pinned against the door. "I've got a Persona now, remember? If any big, scary Shadows show up, I'll protect you, I promise. And anyway, when you're not in one of those big construct things like the King's village, Shadows are pretty rare. Whaddya say?"

With Marquis so close to him, Hideo attempts to reposition, sliding to his left along the door to maneuver around her. Marquis simply steps in front of him again, blocking a retreat. "I-I dunno, Marquis. I want to gather my energy before the big fight, you know? If we're exhausted, things could get really bad."

Marquis purses her lips disappointedly and looks down for a second before back up to Hideo, the return of her gaze conveying a very vague sadness to him. "Please?" She asks, no longer maintaining the gruffness she usually keeps in her voice. Now she seems like a normal person for once. "I uh… I mean, I could probably do it alone and it'd be perfectly fine since I'm super cool, but… I... missed hanging out with you and Biffy yesterday." She slightly shuffles in place. "So, please? I promise it won't take too long."

Hideo's expression melts, shedding all of his hesitations and replacing them with guilt. With the events of Marquis' Persona awakening coming back in an instant, he finds himself won by her plea. "...Sure," He sighs, turning his head away and grinning faintly. "Let's go, just you and me. Maybe if we're lucky we'll, uh, find a _weak_ Shadow to kill." He puts great emphasis on the 'weak'.

"Aheh!" Marquis chirps, abandoning all gloom and standing straight again. She takes a step back, a mischievous smirk pulling its way onto her face as she winks with her non-golden eye and gives Hideo a thumbs up. "So you do care about me! Come on, Hidi, we're burning daylight!" Then, before Hideo can react, she lunges forward again, grabs him by the wrist, and starts dragging him in the direction of the shopping district.

Still sitting in the dim environment of his dining room, Hideo pauses his recap of the story. Previously, he had been avoiding any eye contact with Biff, but as he glances to the face of the interrogator sitting across from him, he hesitates, seeing Biff's gruff, irate expression.

In the next house over, Marquis pauses in her recap of the story, hoping to gauge Miho's reaction thus far. Miho simply sits in one of the leather-back chairs across from the couch, her arms folded and her expression completely and utterly neutral. Her eyebrows knit when Marquis stops.

"Go on," Biff and Miho order, ironically enough, at the exact same time.

Marquis and Hideo don't waste too much time heading towards Abe's shop to pick up the new weapons. Actually, I should rephrase that. Hideo didn't waste too much time going to Abe's shop and picking up the new weapons. Marquis, on the other hand, attempted to sideline the trip by dragging Hideo first into a tourist trap gift shop, then into Georgie's diner for an early lunch.

"No," Hideo declares, driving his heels in the dirt to hold his position. "No, Marquis, no, stop. Let go of me, we're not taking a lunch break." After a short contest of strength between the two, in which Marquis proves to be astonishingly resilient, Hideo wrenches his arm away from her grasp.

"What? Why?" Marquis pouts in response, stamping a foot.

"Because it's too early for lunch," He sighs. "And we don't have time for another luncheon at Georgie's. We've got a mission or… something like that."

Marquis purses her lips, scowls at Hideo in a rather pitiable attempt at being menacing, glances towards Georgie's, glances back to Hideo, then finally turns to look at the neon orange Big Bang Burger right next to it. "How about that one?"

"Big Bang Burger? I… sure. But we can't eat in there. Get a burger, stick it in your bag, then eat it on the train after we stop by Abe's? Ok?"

Marquis considers Hideo's compromise for a few seconds longer than she should, then finally nods with a smirk. "You drive a hard bargain, Kotchi, but it appears I have no choice but to accept." With that, she sticks her hand out, expecting a shake.

"We don't need to shake hands on that, just go in, come on." Stepping forward, Hideo starts gently nudging her towards the Big Bang Burger entrance.

"You're a poor businessman," Marquis grumbles, allowing herself to be guided to the fast food joint.

Inside, they wait in a line for about five minutes until finally, it's time to order. "Uhhhhhh, I'll get a Big Bang Burger," Hideo says to the flamboyantly uniformed, twenty-something-year-old male cashier. "Marquis, what're you getting?"

"I dunno, I wasn't looking."

"What?! We were waiting for, like, five minutes. Why didn't you decide then?" He cries, gesturing to the giant menu behind the cash register.

Marquis makes an exaggerated shrug motion with both hands raised as she starts to consider the options, taking a full minute to do so before finally resting on "Two Big Bang Burgers!" With her order confirmed, Marquis cheerily turns to Hideo and gives a big thumbs up.

"Why're you acting like that's cool?"

The cashier presses some buttons then looks back to Hideo. "Are those orders together?"

"No," Hideo responds instantly, shaking his head. "They're separa-"

"What?!" Yelps Marquis, attempting to be as loud as Hideo was when he chewed her out for not looking at the menu. "You're going to take me, a cute, young, cute girl out on a date and make me pay for my own food!? Hideo Kotchi, you bastard!" She puts extra emphasis on his name, making sure everyone knows exactly who the sadistic, check-splitting monster is.

"Hnk-" Hideo chokes, whirling around to Marquis and going slightly red. "Y-you… I…" He catches the eyes of the other customers behind him in line, who, besides their annoyance of being held up by Marquis, clearly are looking down on him with contempt. Or at least he's pretty sure they are. With one last glance to Marquis, he attempts to convey his best silent _I hate you_ possible before turning back to the cashier. "S-sorry, no, we're together. One order."

"Mhm…" The cashier mutters disdainfully, giving Hideo a look similar to that of the other customers. "984 Yen."

Still feeling the razor-sharp eyes of the early lunch crowd stabbing into his back, Hideo pays without another word, and he and Marquis grab their food then walk out. Once the door closes behind them, he immediately pivots on a heel and throws both hands up.

"Why the hell would you do that?!"

"Aw, come on, Hidi, it was funny," Marquis responds blithely as she stuffs her and Hideo's burgers into the duffel bag she brought.

"No, it wasn't funny, it was embarrassing! They all thought I was the world's biggest douchebag." Fuming, he pauses for a moment. "And give me the Yen for your burgers."

"We didn't know those people, so no problem," Marquis responds, attempting to dismiss Hideo once again. She fishes around in her coin purse for a couple seconds before pulling out a small handful of change and giving it to Hideo. "See, that's a thousand. I even covered your food. Because I'm awesome."

"Even if we didn't know those people it's still embarrassing! You can't just make me look like an idiot in public for a giggle! Geez, Marquis…"

After Hideo specifies his condemnation, her expression goes from nonchalant to very mildly perturbed, as though something suddenly clicks. Her eyes avert from Hideo, and he swears he can see her lip quiver for a moment. "If Biff did it you wouldn't holler at him…"

"Y-" Hideo takes a half step back. "Biff wouldn't do that! And what does that have to do with anything?"

She doesn't respond at first, keeping her eyes averted and slowly looking more and more distant. In this silence, Hideo's expression melts as well and he huffs, dropping his tensed shoulders. "Hidi, can we drop it?" Marquis asks eventually. "I… I don't want to fight. I really, really don't want to fight. Not ever."

Hideo sighs again before standing straight and running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Yeah, let's not, you're right. This is our day off. Together." With that declaration, Marquis turns back to Hideo and gives a faint smile. He returns the favor, then the two finally make their way towards Abe's shop.

Biff's brow furrows-not in anger this time, but something else. "I've… never actually heard you or Marquis get heated with each other like that before. The most intense I've ever seen either of you was with your Shadows… damn. Were you guys actin' awkward the rest of the day?"

"That sounds uncomfortable," Miho quips, lifting the cup of tea she prepared during Marquis' last block of story to her mouth and sipping.

"No," Hideo sighs, lowering his head. "It wasn't, which honestly was part of the problem."

"The problem?" Biff responds instantly.

"I wish we would have fought it out there, gotten into an actual argument, and settled our differences, but we didn't. The two of us are awfully good at ignoring our problems."

"Nah," Marquis responds to Miho, waving her hand dismissively. "I was feeling pretty defensive and I don't think Hideo was up for a spat, so we just left it be and continued on." She wrings her lips and brings her waving hand in to lace her fingers with the other. "The two of us are awfully good at ignoring our problems. It's a talent, really."

"Huh," Biff growls, sitting back in the wooden chair at Hideo's dining room table. "But don't think your lovers' quarrel gets you outta tellin' me everything. Keep talkin'."

Hideo and Marquis continue on to Abe's shop without much incident. After Big Bang Burger, any teasing between the two is slightly lessened, though as the event fades into the backs of their minds, their argumentative natures slowly restore themselves.

"No, no you can't tell me Biff would 'totally and completely kick my ass in a Persona fight'," Hideo cries, making finger quotations.

"But he would."

"No way. I think I'd stand a pretty good chance against Cthulhu."

"If 'pretty good chance' means getting K.O.'d in one hit, then yeah."

"That doesn't even make sense," Hideo sighs. "But shut up about the Dreamlands, we're going into Abe's."

And with that, the two push the door open to the modest weapon shop and greet Abe. Knowing what they're here for, the gruff, balding, late-middle-aged man instantly bends down behind his counter and pulls out the commissioned weapons, laying them on the counter. Marquis and Hideo pay, and while Marquis is reluctant to cover paying for Biff's club, Hideo eventually convinces her to do so. With Hideo's shiny new elongated scythe and Biff's rough, brutal club in hand, the two set out again.

"Take care, kids," Abe calls as Hideo and Marquis make their way to the door. "And tell Chanum I said hello."

"Bye Abe!" Marquis chirps, hop-stepping to the door and swinging her duffle bag off her shoulder and onto the ground with a thump. "Put your big scythe thing in here, Hidi," she orders while stuffing Biff's club in.

"That's… actually a good idea," Hideo concedes with a nod. "I didn't think about it, but if we flaunted our weapons around town we might scare someone." While it takes a bit of finagling, the power of both Hideo and Marquis combined allows them to fit the bag around Hideo's entire scythe, and they make their way to the train station, ready to head to Tokyo for their grand return to the Dreamlands.

The train ride is decently populated, though nowhere near uncomfortably crowded. Just about everyone making the transit are clearly Mata citizens planning on spending the day in the city, and Hideo even notices a few Makisini High students who he points out to Marquis.

Marquis steals one more furtive glance at the girls from class 2-A, who are only a few seats away, before turning back to Hideo with a mischievous grin on her face."Hey Hidi, think they'll think we're on a date?"

Hideo flinches and raises a hand to try and quiet Marquis. "Shhhh… shut up!" He hisses in a harsh whisper. "What's with all these date jokes? It's… weird." There's a notable pause between 'it's' and 'weird', during which Marquis' grin grows even further.

"Don't get any funny ideas, Hidi boy… hee hee…"

"Th-that's not what I was thinking, it's just, like, a common theme, I guess?"

"Well, I dunno," Marquis mumbles, suddenly becoming uncharacteristically meek. "I've just been thinking about it lately, I guess?"

Hideo raises an eyebrow and leans back in his seat. He's not exactly sure what to make of where she's going with this. It doesn't seem like a confession, but still… "It?"

"Love, I guess." She says this last line a bit sourly, her lips puckering as though she had just spoken some nonsensical foreign term.

"You've been thinking… about love?" It's Hideo's turn to chuckle at her. "Does Marquis have a crush?" Relishing the chance to tease her for once, Hideo jabs a finger into her ribs, her guard having gone down in her mildly vulnerable state.

"N-no, shut up, Hidiot!" She cries, swatting his hand away as she goes slightly red. After shouting, Marquis becomes conscious once more that they're on a train, and her way of dealing with this fact is grumbling, folding her arms, and muttering one more "Hidiot…"

Hideo rescinds his hand and drops the cocky smirk. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. But go on if you've got more to say."

"Psh," Marquis pouts, turning her head away from him. "I don't think you want to hear my awesome insight."

Hideo sighs, allowing himself a very faint smile. "I want to hear your awesome insight."

"That's all you had to say, my Hidi!" Marquis instantly drops the faux-pout and whirls back to face Hideo. "I don't actually have any insight, but I do have a question. What is this love stuff in the first place?"

Hideo raises his eyebrows in surprise, having no idea how to answer such a layered question as that. "U-uh… well, it's like… when you really care for someone a-"

"No, no," Marquis cuts in. "Not a stupid generic answer like that. I found exactly that on Google." She huffs, giving Hideo a mildly disappointed look that slowly melds into a grin. "Well, what did I expect? It's not like I was asking a bonafide love doctor or anything."

"Huh?"

"You've never had a girlfriend, right?"

"N-no… why is-"

"Figured as much."

"Hey, shut up, why are you bullying me now? I was supposed to be the one giving you a hard time..." Hideo's face now becomes the one that is red as he proceeds to get flustered.

"Times change, Hidi boy."

Wanting to push the conversation forward (in order to pull Marquis out of her dominant position more than anything), Hideo continues, still feeling off-guard. "W-well, then why're you thinking about this stuff all of a sudden?"

"Mmm?" Marquis places a finger on her chin as she recalls why. "I was just thinking yesterday-"

"The day you were stalking me home?"

"Uh-huh. So I was thinking, actually, this was exactly while I was following you to see where you lived. So I was thinking, if love's supposed to mean for when you really like someone and all, and I really like you and Biff, does that mean I love you guys?"

Hideo winces at that last bit. "U-uh, I mean, you uh…"

"But that felt weird to say, like, I dunno how to put it. Just weird. So I still don't know. I was hoping you'd give me a better definition of love, but I should've known Mr. 'No-GF' wouldn't have any idea."

"Hey, you don't exactly have dates lined up, either," Hideo retorts, raising his hands defensively.

"Oh, sorry, Hidi. Was I supposed to get a nice Shadow boyfriend who treats me well some time after I woke up in the Dreamlands, like, a month ago? You've had a whole sixteen years!"

"St-stop it, that's not my fault. A-and it's not like I care!"

The rest of the train ride is mostly them bickering to no avail, though towards the end of the near-hour-long trip, their debate dies down and the two of them sit silently, watching the colossal grey buildings of Tokyo whiz by.

"Alright, Hidi, my boy, are you ready?" Marquis chirps, hop-stepping around the slightly shimmering, translucent hole in space, the image of which she and Hideo have become all too familiar with. The alley this Tokyo portal lies in is eerily deserted, most likely due to its location behind a row of long abandoned shops, though off in the distance the two can hear the sounds of trains and crowds typical to a large city.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Hideo sighs in response. "I hate how these things make my stomach churn-I always feel like I'm gonna puke after."

Marquis narrows her eyes and pouts her lips. "Just don't puke on me-and toughen up while you're at it."

"Hey, no-"

"HERE WE GO!" And with that, Marquis cuts Hideo off and swings her hand wildly into the portal, instantly sparking a blinding white light that overwhelms both of their vision in an instant. From their perspective, the world cuts to white, then feels as if the ground underfoot is churning and shaking, all while they seemingly spin in circles as though in a free-fall. It feels as though the world itself is collapsing, and they're just hopelessly being dragged along for the ride. After a few seconds of this sickening experience, the ground solidifies and their vision returns, placing them directly in front of an utterly monolithic black tower, its sheer scale taking up the majority of their fields of vision-Celephais.

"Man… I forgot how big this thing was," Hideo mutters, craning his neck to try and see where the onyx tower ends, though no matter how hard he squints, there's no peak in sight before Celephais pierces the sky and continues-presumably-upwards.

"Eheheh, that's what she said," Marquis responds immediately, eliciting a sigh from Hideo. As he continues to marvel at the monolith, Marquis pivots on her heel to look out at the valley opposite Celephais. Two towering rows of mountains carve out a colossal valley leading directly away from the tower, only ending at an abrupt cliff face at least two miles in the distance. A thin rivulet snakes through this valley, its origin lying somewhere in the mountains, and its end a result of the aforementioned cliff as the river pours its flow off the edge and into the seemingly endless ocean just beyond. The oddest thing about this ocean is the fact that it appears to be neither a shade of blue-like normal water-or a constantly altering series of gentle colors like the cloudless sky above, but, rather, a mellow shade of lavender. Ironically enough, it'd probably feel out of place if the ocean was normally colored, considering the fact that ground appears to be an unnatural, shifting, glass-like deep green, and the sky above never sticks to one of its pastel shades for more than a moment. It's rather difficult to describe, but somehow these contrasting textures and shades seem to fit together in their absurdity while simultaneously creating an unnerving, deeply surreal atmosphere.

"This place is weird," Hideo quips, drawing Marquis' attention away from surveying the landscape and to him, revealing that he, too, has begun taking in the view.

"Eh, you kinda get used to it when you live here," She responds while giving an over-exaggerated shrug.

Hideo purses his lips slightly at that comment, keeping his eyes on the valley. "I always forget about that."

"That?"

"S-sorry. I meant that you live in the Dreamlands." He pauses for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. "I... can't really see you as an extra-dimensional invader anymore. Well… not that I ever did, but you know what I mean… I think."

"Aw, man," Marquis pouts. "So, lil' ol' Marquis isn't the wacky, cool, and oddly attractive foreign girl anymore?"

"I…" Hideo begins to answer, but cuts off, finding answering that question to be akin to stepping on a landmine. "...Why are you speaking in the third person? And, I mean, I was just saying that you seem more like… a… uh… buddy now than anything."

Marquis raises an eyebrow and coyly takes a step towards him. "Hm… so you think we're getting closer?"

"I- wait…"

"'Buddy' Marquis wants to know if you're happy with the change… hehe…" She grins devilishly at Hideo, taking yet another step closer to bridge the gap, leaving only about a foot between the two of them.

With this odd technique of slightly demeaning flirting, Hideo begins to feel his face go flush. _No…_ he thinks, immediately attempting to suppress the redness. _That's exactly how she wants me to react_. Instead of allowing himself to get flustered, Hideo steels his resolve and scowls at Marquis. "Are you really trying to make me slip up and say something awkward just so you can make fun of me?"

"Hm…" Marquis ponders the question for several seconds then responds with a big smile and a bigger thumbs up. "Yes!"

Hideo knits his brow, the scowl on his face staying right where it lies. "Come on, that's not funny. That's just being an a-hole."

"I was just making a joke, geez." Marquis raises both hands in surrender. _What's up with you, Hidi boy?_ She thinks, pouting externally while monologuing internally. _Why're you getting pissy with me again?_

"W-well, seriously, it's embarrassing when you do stuff like that. Like… like at Big Bang Burger-it's not cool."

"Biff makes fun of you all the time, though," She retorts, quite clearly getting defensive. "I was just trying to mess around with you, I mean, we're in the freakin' Dreamlands. Who's gonna hear? The Shadows?"

"Why do you keep bringing Biff up? What does he have to do with anything? And it's not that, it's just… it…" As Hideo trails off, failing to find the right words, the two have a short stare off.

And by short, I mean really short. The tension only lasts for a few seconds before melting into guilt on both sides, and they simultaneously apologize with a mumbled: "I'm sorry…"

Another moment passes before Hideo spreads his arms out, inviting Marquis to a well-intentioned-if not slightly awkward-hug. She gladly accepts, shuffling forward to reconcile with a brief embrace.

"That sounds… unhealthy," Miho says before taking another sip of tea, intentionally echoing back to her earlier comment. "You two were really that short with each other? I mean, you still argue over everything, but… what you just told me sounds different."

"Yeaaaaaah," Marquis concedes, letting out a short sigh. "But neither of us really thought of it like that. We didn't even recognize, like, that we were pissed at each other overall. We just didn't want to fight, ya know? But the whole problem was we didn't pay attention to the fact that it was just gonna keep building and building until…"

There's a several second long pause, during which Marquis looks expectantly at Miho, clearly waiting for her to say something. Miho grimaces before deciding to humor her. "...until?"

"IT EXPLODES!" Marquis shouts, throwing her hands up.

Miho doesn't even react to the motion. "And did it explode?"

"Nah. We fixed it before it did."

To Marquis' short answer, Miho gives a tight-lipped smile, opting to humor her more. "That sounds like it spoils the story."

"Psh," Marquis huffs. "You asked. And it only spoils it if I tell you how we fixed it."

"By kissing?" Miho asks, her ever so slight smile remaining perfectly still.

Marquis goes marginally red in the face. "Sh-shut up and listen. So uh… after that we started walking towards the King's village-castle-thing-place..."

With a hand braced against his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun above, Hideo continues trekking with Marquis who manages to keep a perfect pace right next to him. Currently, the two of them travel across a wide-open, flat prairie that extends as far as the eye in all directions. And by all directions, I mean to their right and left, because to their backs is the towering Celephais and the mountain range near it, and before them, roughly half a mile away, is the edge of what seems to be a rather thick forest. The landscape where they are now is nothing like the glassy earth of the Celephais valley. Here, it appears at first glance to be real grass plains, but upon closer examination, the entire prairie is utterly flat, like a 2-D surface designed to appear lifelike

"How long did you say we'd be walking?" Hideo asks, unconsciously allowing a complaining tone to slip into his voice.

"Quit whining, you bum," Marquis chides, happily striding along, every few steps being a skip. "And walking around in the Dreamlands doesn't work like normal walking around. You kinda just, like, focus on where you're going, then you reach a forest like _that_ forest…" She points to the woodline ahead of them. "...then it's only a little longer until you reach your des-tin-a-tion."

"That's… weird. You know, I think I'm incapable of feeling surprised anymore after continued exposure to the Dreamlands."

"Eh, you get used to it," Marquis says with a shrug, before suddenly screaming, "PERSONA!" Causing Hideo to jump back and assume a combat-ready stance.

"Wh-what the-" He cries, his vision darting around. "Is there an enemy?"

"Huh?" Marquis gives him a confused look. Currently, she's stopped in place, her left arm-and the engraved Persona-bracer on it-raised at a ninety-degree angle. Sputtering blue flames spew forth from the aforementioned bracer, coursing around her in circles and rapidly coalescing into a solid form: Atlach-Nacha, Marquis' Persona. Its ankle-length, vaguely nun-like robes billow in the summoned wind, yet that same force doesn't seem to bother its face, which appears both uncomfortably serene and uncomfortably youthful. Finally, extending from its back are four thick, elongated, silver in color spider legs, with razor-sharp knives on the ends, sticking out in full glory. "What're you talking about, Hidiot? I'm just summoning my awesome Persona. Speaking of that… PERSONA!" She screams it again, pointing with a finger to order her Persona forward. Atlach-Nacha lunges in a wide arc, stabbing rapidly with all four dagger-legs on the way down. "Ha-HA!" She cheers.

Hideo's surprise melts into disappointment at the display, and he crosses his arms to more clearly demonstrate exactly how unimpressed he is. "You'll tire yourself out that way. You can't just willy-nilly Persona it up like that."

Marquis giggles a little at Hideo's word choice. "Ok," She concedes. "But can I have my Persona out if I see a weird pink building at the edge of the forest?"

"...what?" Hideo's not really sure how to answer that question. He's not even sure what it's supposed to mean, or if it's some stupid joke Marquis is making.

"Like that weird pink building over there." She raises her index finger and points off towards the aforementioned forest. Throughout her revealing of the new development, her voice remains completely casual, like she's not put off in the slightest.

"You… wait, what...?" Hideo staggers over his words as he squints and sees that there is, in fact, a large building jutting out of the edge of the woods. While it's not entirely pink, like Marquis suggested, it appears to be a very large rectangular shaped building colored, for the most part, black, like some giant dreary warehouse. The pink part is in regards to the giant neon sign seemingly naming this building. In slightly flickering, oversized, fluorescent pink cursive, the words "REKINDLE THAT FLAME!" radiate such an intensely obnoxious amount of light that it's clearly visible even from the distance that Marquis and Hideo are at. Directly above the text, and still part of this sign, is a giant pink heart that has been cracked jaggedly down the middle and stitched back together. Without fail, the heart glows just as brightly as the words below it, and as glowing neon energy passes through the sign's tubes, the heart appears to be pulsing and beating.

"...What the hell?" Hideo mutters, still processing the bewildering sight. "That looks like some logo for a dumpy bar…"

"Or a strip club," Marquis chides in casually.

"Or a strip club," Hideo confirms, nodding slowly. "B-but wait, when'd you notice that? I mean, I don't know how I missed it, but still."

"Like five minutes ago."

"Five minutes ago?! Why didn't you bring it up? That could be a construct like the freaking King's castle!"

"W-well I was looking for the right moment, ok? I didn't want to just be like 'Hey Hideo, look at that pink strip club over there, isn't that dandy?'"

"And why're you acting so casual about this, there might be Shadows!" Upon saying so, Hideo goes on guard, readying his Persona shield for a hasty summoning.

"Psh, Hidi boy, you are but a child. There're random buildings like this everywhere in the Dreamlands. Though this one's bigger than most..." She mumbles that last line under her breath. "And there are almost always Shadows. Buuuuuuut you did promise we could fight some while we're here soooooo…"

Hideo grimaces and raises a hand in defense. "I-I said 'maybe one Shadow.' Maybe being the operating word there. I somehow get the feeling that there'll be more than one Shadow in there."

"Probably," Marquis says with a shrug. "So how about this: we go check it out, we kill one Shadow, then we run away really fast? I think it's an excellent plan. Come on, you have to want to see what's up with it-I mean, look how mysterious it is!" Without even looking, she begins waving a hand in the general direction of the construct.

After likening it to a strip club, Hideo finds Marquis' attempts to treat it like some lost temple to be a bit laughable, but he decides not to comment. With one more sigh, he concedes, knowing fully well that this will more than likely go wrong. But, what he's even more confident in than the fact that they'll be ambushed by Shadows before even approaching, is that Marquis, when she's feeling determined, is a force to be reckoned with, and if he says no, she'll do it anyways. And probably die in the process. "Alright. We'll check it out. Nothing more, nothing less. Ok?"

"Yay!" Marquis cheers, thrusting a victorious fist in the air and allowing her Persona to dissipate into blue energy. "Come on, Hidi boy, let's go!" And without another word, she takes off in the direction of the warehouse-like construct, her startling speed giving her an instant head start on Hideo.

"W-wait, hold on," Hideo starts to protest. He realizes it's a fruitless endeavor to attempt to make her stop, and once again concedes to her indomitable personality, jogging along at a meager pace.

Marquis comes up within a few dozen meters of the colossal building first, having to wait almost a full minute for Hideo to catch up. Once they've approached, the sense of scale grows and the similarity to a strip club decreases both in equal measure. From where they're standing, it looks to be at least fifteen meters tall and ridiculously wide, its thick rectangular form appearing less like an establishment of questionable repute, and more like an abandoned warehouse where you'd be liable to get murdered. The only saving grace from such an image is the ostentatious logo, but from underneath, when Hideo and Marquis have to crane their necks to look at it, the sign becomes a nigh incomprehensible, radiant, hot pink mess. Directly in front of them, and just under the logo, is a pair of large double doors, which, despite the top of them being taken up mostly by glass windows, don't reveal much as it's too dark inside to make out anything.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh hey, Hidi," Marquis calls as he begins coming up behind her. "Ya know, I'm starting to get a bit too skeeved out by this place. How about we find a different Shadow to murder."

Hideo sighs heavily and puts a hand to his temple. "No, let's at least look in, see what's in there. You made me come over here to check it out, so now if we don't I'm just gonna be curious and it'll bother me all day."

"You're a confusing boy, Hidi," She grumbles, stealing a quick glance at the doorway before looking back to Hideo. "It's too dark, so, like, let's go now."

Wordlessly, Hideo begins fishing into his pocket, and after a second he pulls out his phone, holding it delicately between two fingers. "There's a flashlight on my phone. I'll be quick; come on, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Mmm… alright," Marquis concedes, not having a good answer to his question besides 'it's a gut feeling'. "But you're doing the looking in, so if there's a nasty hiding inside, you'll be the one who gets grabbed and eaten."

Hideo's visage becomes momentarily perturbed, but he puts it off as well as he can. "Y-yeah, alright. Whatever, just watch my back, ok?"

The duo gradually approaches the set of double doors with what could reasonably be considered excess hesitation. Once within about ten paces, Marquis stops and turns around, placing her hands on her hips and slowly pivoting back and forth as she begins diligently surveying the surrounding landscape.

Being already on edge thanks to the utterly unnerving circumstances, Marquis' quick movement startles Hideo and makes him noticeably flinch. "Wh-what? What're you doing?" He stutters, looking behind himself.

"Watching your back, geez. Hurry up." She flicks her head towards the door and tries her best to cover up the inexplicably intense feeling of anxiety bubbling up just under the surface. _Come on, Marquis,_ She chides internally. _What're you even scared of? I mean, I'm not sensing any Shadows or anything, because I can do that, which is awesome._ Her self appreciation makes her feel a little better, allowing a slight bravado to mix in with the crippling feeling of something about to go very wrong.

Hideo pushes some buttons on his phone, fumbles for a second and nearly drops it, then finally flicks the flashlight on and forces himself to begin closing the distance to the door. With as much stealth as he can muster, Hideo slinks up to the door and presses first the light of his phone then the cheek of his face against it, maneuvering the makeshift flashlight to illuminate as much of the interior as he can.

"Whaddya see, Hidi boy? Nothing? Alright, let's go," Marquis calls, her voice dropped to a raspy whisper.

Hideo purses his lips, the sight of what's within thoroughly perplexing him. "I… uh… it looks like a bunch of computer… stuff." As he vaguely described, while he can't see far in, immediately extending in from both sides of the door are parallel rows of silver computer-looking machines creating a rudimentary hallway in between.

"Computer stuff?"

"...Yeah. It's like… uh…" Hideo hesitates as he begins trying to figure out a good enough way to describe what he's looking at. It takes a few seconds, but eventually, he gets it. Yet before Hideo can even say a word, he's cut off by a noise. Two noises to be exact. Two noises that immediately send a terrible chill down his spine. The first of these menacing noises is a very specific one: the noise-similar to some sort of wet splat, sort of like what hitting a bowl of pudding with a mallet would sound like-that Hideo's heard a few times since coming to the Dreamlands: the noise Shadows lying in ambush make when they spring out of the ground, their sludgy forms bursting and quickly reforming. The second noise, a less specific one, is Marquis letting out a half-startled, half-terrified yelp before scampering back and slamming into the door next to Hideo.

Hideo freezes, slowly turning despite knowing exactly what's to come. Much to his-and the hyperventilating Marquis'-chagrin, a semicircle of Shadows have seemingly materialized around them, totally surrounding the duo. In total, there are probably at least twenty, all having widely varying forms with any number of limbs from one to seven, and their shapes ranging from vaguely humanoid to amoebic. There are a few which Hideo recognizes off the bat, such as the sneering wolf-like Shadow he and Biff originally encountered, or the impish demon Marquis referred to as Incubus, but regardless of the familiar faces, the two are perilously outnumbered, and they know it well.

"Hideo, I…" Marquis mutters between panicked breaths. She slinks closer to Hideo's side, trying to become as small of a target as possible.

"St-stop panicking," Hideo stutters, trying-and failing-to stop his own share of terror from creeping into his voice. "Come on, wh-what would Biff tell us if he were here now?"

Marquis' lip quivers as she looks out among the horde of Shadows, all of them remaining eerily still despite eyeing the duo like hungry animals. Finally, she looks up to Hideo, her one yellow eye gleaming ever so slightly. "He'd... probably swear at us and tell us to fight, right?"

"I'm touched," Biff growls, heavy sarcasm on his breath.

"Yeah, exactly," Hideo mutters, firmly patting his hand against Marquis before stepping away from her. "You've got a Persona, don't you? Bring it out." Allowing a short moment to pass, Hideo aligns his footing and takes a deep breath, performing the mental affirmation of fighting spirit that allows a Persona to be materialized. With that, he thrusts his left arm-and the circular wooden shield strapped to it-straight into the air, and calls to his other self. "It's go time! Cyäegha!"

The sound of shattering glass rings out as roaring flames with the consistency of viscous liquid pour from Hideo's shield, impacting the ground and forming a circle around him. Just then, a gale of wind picks up, spinning the flames up and into the rapidly coalescing form of Cyäegha. As the wind swirling around Hideo begins to die down, Cyäegha fully materializes, revealing the oversized lanky humanoid with both of its silver and gold swords drawn. Its body, made entirely of thick black tentacles mimicking a human shape, squirms slightly underneath the baggy pants and patchwork coat, causing its giant eyeball of a head to sway back and forth.

Hideo immediately pulls his hand down into a fist, holding a firm position as he waits for the Shadows to act first, as currently, they remain idle. Inspired by Hideo's drive and by the recollection of Biff's leadership, Marquis lunges forward as well, raising her arm to summon a Persona of her own. "PER-"

But she's cut off as a new figure emerges from the crowd, its body tall and humanoid, and its skin a deep, twisting, sludgy black, giving a stark contrast to the perfectly human, glowing yellow eyes set in sockets that seem to have no clear beginning. This figure, clearly male by its body shape, immediately calls to mind the Shadow King of Makisini High and would be near-identical to him if it weren't for the clothes on his body. Instead of an ostentatious golden cloak, this Shadow wears a neatly kept tuxedo that's dark enough to nearly blend completely into his body, but is ever so slightly distinguishable due to it being a slightly different shade of black. Upon closer inspection, Hideo can spot that at the top of his head, the Shadow sludge comprising his form seems to curl to the right and somewhat up in a crude replica of a middle-aged man's combover.

A moment passes in tense silence before this Shadow, speaking in a voice that is simultaneously ludicrously booming, unnaturally deep, and oddly soothing, calls out to them. "Now, come on, there's no need for fighting. After all, you two are the next contestants on…" He turns and faces the air above his right shoulder. For a second, there's nothing, but after a couple of seconds, a Shadow, shaped crudely like a camera, albeit with undersized bat wings jutting out of its back, flutters up from the crowd and points its 'lens' in the tuxedo Shadow's face. "...Rekindle! That! Flame!" He shouts that last line like it's the title to something, and immediately after he does so, the sound of generic canned audience applause begins playing from some unknown source.

"Wh-what the hell's going on?" Hideo shouts, waving a hand in front of him. "Who're you?"

"He's a Shadow, Hidiot," Marquis growls, her voice having shifted back from 'near-panic' to 'trying to be tough'. "Which coincidentally means he's our enemy." In one fluid motion, she draws two knives and spins the one in her offhand around her knuckle, clutching it in a reverse grip. "Now, like I was saying… PERS-"

The tuxedo Shadow turns back to the duo, a cruel smile appearing as his black lips part and reveal perfectly white teeth, and he interrupts Marquis once again without hesitation. "But we've got to get you ready for the show. There's no time to waste…"

"Oh, come on!" Marquis cries.

"...so let's get things rolling. Sandman?"

"Sand-what?" Hideo mutters, hunching slightly down into a better position for dodge-rolling away from any attacks.

Marquis looks slightly confused, her head instinctively cocking. "Sandman?"

From next to the tuxedo Shadow, a diminutive humanoid figure emerges. It appears to be wearing some sort of full-body red pajamas, and over its shoulder is draped a white cloth sack, but most notably is the fact that its head is an oversized silver moon with eyes and a mouth where one would expect on a face, the latter twisted up in a mischievous smile.

Having expected something much scarier, Hideo laxes slightly. "You know what that thing is, Marquis?"

"Uhhhh yeah," Marquis mutters, still staying in her crouching, knife-ready position. "They kinda suck, though. I've run into a few. All they do is put you to sleep then run away for no reason."

"Uh…" Hideo's not sure what to make of this information. "Ok… wait, put to sleep?!"

And before he can finish that thought, the diminutive Sandman waves a hand, does a little dance, and conjures a purple circle under both Hideo and Marquis.

Marquis, with her eyes on the Shadow, doesn't notice the circle under either of them, meaning Hideo only has time to start shouting, "Marquis, dodge!" before purple light covers both of their vision, and in an instant, the world goes dark.

Marquis finds herself slowly opening her eyes in a completely dark room, her face and entire body flat against some sort of plush sofa or chair or something. Remaining in her prone position, she lets out a long yawn, stretching both arms over her head before falling flat once more. "Why am I so tired…?" She mumbles to herself, feeling the distinct heaviness of the eyes one experiences immediately upon waking from a long sleep. "We were in the Dreamlands, and Hideo yelled something and then… oh, wait." The memory of being surrounded by Shadows comes back in an instant, followed by the memory of a Sandman showing up and the world going dark. "O-oh, wait! Hideo?!" Her voice begins to rise to panic. "HIDEO?!"

As Marquis begins to adjust to the darkness, she looks around herself frantically, finding them room she's in to apparently be some sort of storage closet, only barely big enough to fit her and the plush she's sitting on. Speaking of that, she takes a better look at what she's on top of, and much to her surprise, it looks like a heart shaped futon. Well, actually it's not a full heart futon, but half of one, seemingly cut right down the middle, the other half nowhere to be found.

Marquis has only a moment to be confused about her circumstances when the jarringly loud ring of music coming from outside whatever closet she's in pulls her from thought. As far as she can tell, it sounds like some sort of lively jingle, like something that would be featured at the end of a commercial with the intent of being as catchy as possible. Immediately after the song ends with a high pitched 'doot', a voice, which Marquis recognizes as that of the tuxedo wearing Shadow from earlier, begins to speak.

"Welcome back to Rekindle That Flame!" A roar of overwhelming applause cues in the instant the Shadow's voice stops, and it cuts off just as quickly when he begins to speak again. "You folks back home have waited long enough! Let's get our next guests out here!"

The applause picks up again as Marquis feels the futon she's on lurch forward. In response, she opts to let out a yelp and brace herself against the half heart by lying belly down and gripping the sides.

Blinding light floods her vision as one of the closet walls splits in the middle and opens, allowing the futon, now on the move, to start wheeling its way out. Marquis makes a futile attempt to get her bearings, but finds nothing besides an oppressively overwhelming assault on her senses from the deafening applause and painfully bright light. She lies frazzled for a moment before something clicks and the gravity of her situation comes to mind. While she doesn't know what's going on, and she doesn't know where she is, two things are for certain: the enemy has her captured and is nearby, and Hideo could be in danger.

With these two thoughts pinging back and forth in her mind, Marquis forces herself to sit up, straining her eyes against the radiance. The light appears to be from several spotlight-like sources, all pointed directly at her, but as she pushes to see through them, the scenario around her only becomes infinitely more bizarre. She appears to be on a stage sort of like the kind that would be used for filming a talk show, surrounded by a roaring studio audience and what turns out to be actual spotlights. The backdrop to this stage is evidently designed to look like a smartly decorated-if not somewhat generic-modern style house, with a giant television suspended along the center of the backmost wall. Beyond the row of stage lights blasting her, Marquis can see into the audience and can feel her heart instantly clench at the sight of dozens of Shadows, all shaped like anthropomorphic hands, currently occupied with clapping together to create the thunderous applause. Next, Marquis sees that, standing center stage, is the Shadow from earlier who appeared eerily similar to the King, still clad in his flawless tuxedo. And on the end of the stage directly across from her, sprawled along a half heart futon and futilely attempting to resist the overbearing circumstances, is Hideo, slowly making his way to Marquis as the two futons move closer and closer towards the point of collision.

"Hideo!" Marquis immediately shouts.

"Marquis?" He grumbles in response after a moment, sounding as though he's barely conscious. "Marquis…? Where are you?"

"O-over here! We're uh… moving closer together, so just hold on."

A few more seconds elapse before the two futons join, connecting in the middle to form a full heart. In this time, Hideo's able to at least start looking around without being completely blinded, and his attention immediately goes to Marquis. "You… are you alright? Did they do anything to you?"

"N-no, I'm fine, Hidi," She responds with an out of place giggle as she looks him and his desperately squinting, still half asleep, utterly confused expression up and down. "You look like crap, though."

"What a touching reconciliation!" Booms the soothingly deep voice of the tuxedo Shadow, every one of his words dripping with sarcasm. The mere sound of his voice incites another round of rhythmic applause from the audience of Shadows. What strikes Marquis as most odd, though, is the fact that he doesn't appear to be addressing the two of them, but is instead calling out directly to the crowd of hand-shaped Shadows. "But all is not well for these two lovebirds-you couldn't tell from looking at them, but there's some seriously bitter resentment just under the surface. As we're about to find out, their love is in great danger. But what exactly has pushed this couple to the depths of depravity? And more importantly, how can they possibly reignite that spark?"

"Depths of depravity?" Marquis mutters.

Now more conscious of his facilities, Hideo goes slightly red in the face. "W-wait, love? Hold on, just what's going on here? I feel like I'm in a really stupid, really weird dream..." He doesn't ask this question to anyone in particular-it's more the result of general confusion. Eventually, he decides to ask the Shadow himself. "What's this supposed to be?" He barks. "Some sort of TV show? Are you just toying with us? Because-"

The Shadow merely turns his upper body towards Hideo and gives a rather self-assured smirk before returning his attention to the audience and continuing his speech. "I'm your host, The Host, showing you at home what not to do in your relationships, and those who are here…" He gestures to Marquis and Hideo on the heart-shaped futon. "...what TO do. Now, we interviewed both Hideo and Marquis here's Shadows to find out what's really been going on, and we think you'll be shocked by the results. Let's get Marquis' Shadow up on screen!"

Hideo, who had gotten mildly miffed after being blown off by 'The Host' like that, tenses immediately at the mention of his Shadow. He glances instinctually to Marquis to gauge her reaction, and finds that she had roughly the same response, her eyes wide in a combination of rekindled confusion and mild fear.

"W-wait, what?" Hideo stammers, trying to get a response from their captor. "Our… Shadows, you…?"

Once more, The Host bestows no sort of response upon Hideo, head still turned to the audience. With an exaggerated sweep of his arm, The Host gestures towards the giant television superimposed behind Hideo and Marquis, naturally drawing the the attention of our futon-bound heroes to it.

At The Host's beckon, the television flicks on, showing a sight that instantaneously makes Marquis' stomach flip over and her heart leap into her throat. Sitting languidly in a small black chair against a white background is her Shadow exactly as she remembers it-with both of its eyes, rather than one, glowing a dull yellow, and its mouth contorted into a demeaning, cruel smile.

"N-n-nope!" Marquis shouts, sliding out of the futon as the memory of facing her Shadow rushes back in an instant. "Not doing this again. PERSONA!" Since she'd much rather fight her way out of here than go through another Shadow-based breakdown, Marquis swings her shield arm upwards, calling out to her other self. But for once, nothing happens. No sound of breaking glass. No rush of flames. Not even a gentle breeze. Nothing. Marquis' eye twitches as she waits a few more seconds for a response. "P-PERSONA?" Nothing. "Wh-what? No, I…" She knits her brow and starts shouting at the bracer attached to her forearm, evidently trying to wake it up. "PERSONA! PERSONA! PERSONA!" The only noise that results from her display is a deafening round of generic canned laughter blasting in from the audience, as though the hand-Shadows are radiating it like speakers. Being so off guard as to why her Persona shield isn't working, and after being laughed at-even if it's just by Shadows-Marquis clams up, going red in the cheeks and clutching her defective bracer.

"Marquis…" Hideo mutters, beginning to try and figure out something kind to say, but before he can get to that point, Marquis' Shadow up on the screen starts to speak.

"It's just, like, I'm always the odd one out, ya know?" Its voice is identical to the last time Marquis' Shadow showed up, sounding, as all humanoid Shadows do, to be an uncomfortable layering of several different tones of the same voice which, when combined, produce an off-putting distortion effect. Beyond that, it speaks with enough emphasis on sounding gruff to be a blatant parody of Marquis' normal speech. "Like, to him I'm second banana or something… or would it be third banana? Eh, either way, I'm not a fan. He and Biff always have these intense moments of bromance where they connect and be bros and all, which don't get me wrong, I love seeing. It makes me happy when they're happy. And while I can gladly say Biff and I have started connecting on a level like that, I feel like Hideo doesn't want that sort of relationship with me, no matter how hard I try to be friendly with him. Like… there's some unspoken distance between the two of us, or… I dunno, or that he just doesn't care. Biff's able to get away with straight up insulting Hideo for a laugh, but the second I make a little joke, I'm the biggest jerk in the world. If we're supposed to be a team, I don't want it to be Biff first, Marquis second… I want us all to be equal, not for me to get left in the dust. Is that so much to ask?" And with that last rhetorical question, the video feed cuts out.

Through the course of her Shadow's speech, Marquis steadily went from slightly red to an intense hue of crimson. Once it's finally finished, she-terrified to do so-steals a glance at Hideo. His face remains turned away for a few moments, up until he, too, tries to quickly cast a look towards Marquis, his lips pressed tightly together and his expression contorted into an intense guilt. By coincidence of the two trying to stealthily keep tabs on the other, their eyes meet. "You… really feel that way, M-Marquis?"

Marquis takes a half step back, stuttering over her words. "No! W-well, I mean, maybe I'd thought it, like, one time before… m-maybe, I mean… uh…"

With his booming voice capable of commanding all the attention in the room to himself in an instant, The Host cuts into her fractured response, shouting out once more to the audience. "What a poor girl! Neglected by one of the only two men she trusts!" As vile as it is, especially after quite literally broadcasting her feelings, The Host's voice still drips with sarcasm, showing no sympathetic recognition of her plight. "But he's not the only problem in this relationship… and she's not blameless by any measure! Let's see what Hideo's Shadow has to say about it!"

Currently, Hideo's feeling too distressed over Marquis' true feelings to do something pointless like jump up and try to summon his Persona, and as such, he's just kind of kneeling on the heart futon, staring at nothing in particular. With The Host's declaration that they're now bringing his Shadow out on screen, Hideo merely releases a long sigh and attempts to emotionally brace himself for what appears. But no matter how hard he tries to prepare, it's not remotely enough to keep his throat from closing up the instant the screen flickers on and reveals what would appear to be a mirror image of himself if it weren't for the wholly out of place expression: a wry, nigh-emotionless poker face made all the more unsettling by its slightly glowing, dull golden eyes.

"It's really more of a matter of respect than anything," Shadow Hideo starts, leaning forward in what is evidently the same black seat Marquis' Shadow was in. As the Shadow speaks, its tone is inhospitably dull to the point as if to suggest it were speaking of some corporate matters rather than one's feelings towards their dear friends. That rather specific intonation, coupled with the uncomfortable layered distortion of a Shadow's voice, causes a lengthy chill to slide down Hideo's spine. Of course, the memories of his Shadow from the last time they met don't exactly alleviate this anxiety in the slightest. "I get it, she's been through a lot. And this haha wacky humor is her way of making friends. But she's not _just_ cracking jokes at my expense. People making jokes about me? Sure, that's fine, I'm happy to laugh with them. But what she's doing is more like blatantly trying to embarass me for a cheap giggle. And that's not okay, okay? I can't stand that inconsistency about her. It's like, one moment she's being the sweetest-albeit quirkiest-girl imaginable, and the next she's trying to make me do something stupid in public. How is that fair to me? All I want is to be treated like an equal, with some level of respect. Is that so much to ask?" After repeating the same last line Shadow Marquis gave, the image of Hideo's Shadow disappears with a 'blip' noise as the television shuts down, leaving what would be a terribly heavy silence if it weren't for the fact that some individual in the audience of hand-Shadows claps from time to time for no apparent reason.

"You can't… stand that about me?" Marquis mutters, her voice completely and utterly devoid of emotion as she finally turns to look at Hideo once more.

Hideo shifts his position on the futon and sits flat on his rear, pressing his back against the raised headboard as he stretches his legs out towards the audience. He keeps his eyes low in a feeble attempt to avoid being completely blinded by the radiant stage lights. "I've… had it cross my mind, yeah."

Without skipping a beat, The Host picks up when Hideo stops. "How will our lovebirds be able to recover after these shocking truths have been unveiled? I suppose we'll have to just wait and see!" At his beckon, the audience picks up its roaring applause once more, each wave of deafening claps shaking the futon Hideo sits on and the floor Marquis stands on. Simultaneously, several more of those vaguely camera-shaped Shadows flutter into view and immediately take up posts slowly rotating around Hideo and Marquis, keeping aloft upon their bat-like wings.

As the audience's applause begins to slowly die down, a tense silence passes between Hideo and Marquis. Currently, the two of them have retreated into states of brooding as they rapidly contemplate what even to do next. Nearly a minute passes like this before Hideo flinches as he hears what he swears is a muffled sob.

"Marquis…?" Hideo mutters, raising his head and looking towards her. Still standing upright next to the futon, Marquis has, seemingly intentionally, obscured any view of her face from Hideo, her body turned about three quarters away and her head pivoted in the opposite direction. At the call of her name, though, Marquis responds with a lethargic twist, sluggishly turning to face Hideo. When he sees her, with her eyes glassy, welling on the brink of tears and her teeth gritted together in a slowly crumbling attempt to maintain composure, he feels his heart jump into his throat for the second time in the last few minutes. "...Marquis," He repeats.

"I-I'm sorry I m-made you hate me." Marquis is barely capable of getting a response out, her lips quivering terribly with any sort of motion. She looks like she's on the brink of collapsing into a teary heap. "I knew it… I… all I've done… all I could ever do… is make you boys miserable. No matter how much I try, I'll never be anything but a clingy, worthless, annoying Shadow. I… I should've stayed in the Dreamlands. I'm sorry, Hideo. I'm really sorry for everything I've done, and I…" Warm lines of tears start to trickle down her cheek, dispensing droplets onto the silver tile floor as they roll off her chin. "I shouldn't have been so selfish…"

Hideo feels his gaze drift away as Marquis' unleashes her proclamation of guilt. The knowledge of her reaction, especially when he knows it's all his fault, creates a tightness in his back of his throat, like the kind that would suggest he's on the edge of tears himself, but despite it, he feels nothing welling up. "No, no, Marquis, please don't," He mumbles, looking down at his hands in his lap. "You didn't do anything wrong, I… it's my fault." Before he goes any further, Hideo clears his throat and tries to speak up, though it doesn't do much of anything as far as getting rid of his dejected tone. "I mean, geez, I obviously hurt you, but I guess I was too blind to see it. I guess I just didn't care enough..." He grits his teeth, intentionally hearkening back to the issue with his Shadow that started him on this path. "I'm… I'm sorry, Marquis. I really am. I'm trying to care about the people I call my friends, but… heh... I can't even do that right." Feeling an intense surge of emotions, most predominantly shame, Hideo leans forward and buries his face in his hands.

The two spend another moment in silence, the intensity of their combined guilt radiating off them like an aura. After letting several seconds pass, The Host begins giving his spiel once more. "Isn't this a treat, folks? They both blame themselves! Now, unless we want to watch a couple of minnows splash around until they drown in self pity, I say we pry a bit deeper, eh?"

It briefly crosses Hideo's mind as to just how demeaning being treated like an exhibit is, but considering the circumstances, he doesn't much have it in him to object.

"Marquis, darling," The Host of this torturous show purrs, causing her to jump as she's yanked from thought. "Have a seat, will you?" With a single hand, The Host gestures politely to the futon, clearly expecting her to sit down next to Hideo. Without incident, she does so, pulling herself back on top then placing her back against the raised headboard and her legs straight out, mimicking Hideo's upright position.

Ten, maybe twenty, seconds pass in silence before Hideo speaks once more, his hands tightly folded on his lap. "Marquis… I… I'm sorry." His voice cracks getting to the repeated apology, and in a meager attempt to cover it up, Hideo clears his throat and coughs.

Hearing such a genuine show of emotions from Hideo is oddly jarring to Marquis. With it, she slowly pivots her head towards him, and it dawns on her in an instant that while she's seen him get gravely serious in the past, she's never seen this level of vulnerability plastered clearly across his face. As this thought runs through her mind, she falters, unable to come up with an appropriate response before Hideo continues.

"My Shadow first showed up because… because I was apathetic. Because I never truly cared about the people I called 'friend'. I've been trying…" He gestures with his hands for emphasis, though it's difficult for Marquis to tell whether he's talking to her or to himself. "...to be a good person. But I didn't think I was making any progress, and… now I find out one of my best friends thinks I don't care about them? AND my Shadow shows up again? I think that proves it. I haven't changed one bit. I'm so sorry, Marquis. I…" Despite his best efforts, Hideo trails off, not having anything else to spew from his stream of consciousness.

"Hideo… you… I…" Marquis stumbles over a few ways to start her turn, and upon failing, huffs with the intent to speak her mind as rapidly as possible. "It's not your fault you didn't want to put up with me…"

"Marquis, no…"

She continues in her haste regardless. "I tried to be confident after my Shadow. Even though I didn't feel confident, I wanted to be-for you boys. I knew you'd want to put up with me even less if I was an insecure mess. But… I guess I'm terrible anyways. No matter what I do I just give you trouble. Like, I almost got you guys killed a bunch of times, right? And I never leave you alone-I mean, I stalked you home yesterday!" Feeling somehow even more ashamed, Marquis scrunches up her brow and purses her lips like she's pouting. "Looking back on it, it makes me feel really stupid, but I couldn't help myself, I just… I'm sorry… for everything. For being an annoying brat, and for… for not respecting you… and… I just…" Tears start to well up in her eyes once more, the warm sensation sending a wave of embarrassment across her body.

"Marquis, seriously, stop. Nothing about that… it's not your fault at all, it's mine. I'm the one who's a bad person here. You haven't done-"

"No, Hideo! You said it yourself, I made you feel all disrespected and stuff!" With her snappy rebuttal, Marquis shifts herself, disjointing the tears and sending them rolling down her cheek, slightly staggering her speech. "I… I get why you must hate me. I've known all this time, I just… I didn't want to believe it."

"But I-"

The argument over who's a worse person is cut off by The Host's deeply distorted bass voice rumbling in a hearty laugh. Immediately after his mockery registers for Hideo and Marquis, it's met by a deafening round of typical canned laughter, as though the studio audience, despite being entirely comprised of hands, were all jeering them at once. In their collective guilt, the two had seemingly forgotten exactly where they are, and the crude reminder suddenly makes them both feel excruciatingly self-conscious.

"Look at these two!" The Host booms. "What a show! How long do you think they'll ram their heads together until their partner accepts their guilt. But do you, loyal viewers, think that maybe they may both be at fault? Hideo! How do you feel about Marquis!" Despite that last bit being a question, the way the host so cheerily announced it, it sounded more like a declaration than anything.

Hideo cringes when his name is called, despite having had his eyes on The Host. Regardless, he can't help but feel mocked, and as such, responds with a sneer. "Just… stop, ok? We're… if you're not going to kill us, then leave us alone, let us go, I… what do you even want?"

The Host's uneasily human eyes narrow slightly at Hideo, though his black lips and gleaming white teeth remain stretched in a wide smile. "No, no, boy, what do you think of her? Come on, let's hear the truth, the people want it!" Turning in a half-circle, The Host gestures to the audience of hand Shadows, inciting them into another roar of applause. Somehow, his grin seems to grow even further. "Or must we bring back your Shadow…?"

Hideo grits his teeth at the sadistic threat, and while it briefly crosses his mind that Biff would've done something bold, stupid, and possibly heroic in response to being spoken down to, he simply keeps his gaze on The Host, slowly shifts it back to his lap, then finally to Marquis. "I think she's… a wonderful girl... and probably one of the most genuine people I've ever met." He lets out a breath and drops his eyes as soon as Marquis turns her head up to look back at him. "While, sure, she's annoyed me before, and, if I'm being honest, sometimes it gets to be a bit too much, I… I could never hate her." Finally, he makes eye contact with Marquis, holding it despite the fact her slightly glowing yellow eye leaves floaters in his vision. "I've only known her for, what, a week? But I know I could never hate her-I mean, I'm sure as hell lucky to have a friend who cares about me like she does, and I'd be even more hard-pressed to find someone who consistently makes life as interesting as her."

"And what about you, Marquis? What do you think of Hideo? The truth, please!" If this mockery of a TV studio is anything, it's predictable. Without fail, the instant The Host stops speaking, the audience begins clapping once more with booming, rhythmic slaps of the hand.

"He, uh… he's one of my two favorite boys, duh," Marquis states without much of her usual spunk, keeping her eyes even with Hideo's gaze. A cursory glance to The Host reveals a clear tell for her to 'go on', so she decides to elaborate, albeit with an occasional remnant of a sob interrupting her monologue. "I-I mean, he and Biff were... _are_ what give my life meaning. And… I know it sounds annoying and clingy to say that, but I really mean it. I just want to protect those boys, especially if they're gonna go do dangerous stuff like kill Shadows." She breaks her eye contact with Hideo to peek at the The Host. "No offense."

"None taken."

Returning her attention back to Hideo, Marquis continues. "I don't plan on stopping caring anytime soon, but… I'm always worried they won't feel the same way. That they'll get sick of me eventually and I'll just be… alone here in this craphole of a world we call the Dreamlands." She pivots her head to The Host once more. "No offense."

The Host doesn't say anything back, but does frown very slightly at the repeated disses.

"So yeah. That's how I feel. I care about him more than anything, but… but that means I'm scared of losing him. And I… I guess recently I just felt even more worried, since it seemed like Hideo didn't want to be around me, but uh… now that I know it's my fault for being such a jerkwad, I uh… yeah." She trails off at the end there, not exactly sure how to wrap up her fragmented ideas of how she feels.

The Host spins around to the audience, bringing the tails of his tuxedo trailing along behind him. An inhumanly wide smile stretches across his face as he gestures towards the futon, the motion causing those bat-camera hybrid Shadows accelerate their orbiting of Hideo and Marquis, their repulsive tiny wings barely supporting the weight of their bodies. "Wow, you heard it here, folks! How touching! It's pretty clear that, despite their struggling relationship, the two of them care with all their hearts! Now… let's see if we can REKINDLE! THAT! FLAME!"

Hideo attempts to tune out The Host's monologuing as he's decided it's about time to make things right with Marquis. After hearing her assertion of passion one more time, he feels his lower lip start to quiver, but he staves off any show of tears, knowing that this isn't the time. "Marquis… I'm sorry," He mutters once again, folding his hands in his lap. Both he and Marquis still remain sitting next to each other in identical stretched-out positions. "I've said it a lot, but I… I'm sorry. I don't expect becoming a good person to be an instant process or anything, but if I'm ever going to stop being a bad one… I have to start making progress in the right direction. I'm sorry I made you feel like the second banana…" Marquis lets out a soft chuckle at his word choice. "And it's not your fault at all, really. Besides the fact you were, honestly, going a bit too far, you've been nothing but a great friend to me. I don't know how many times ol' Biff and I have to tell you, but we're not gonna just abandon you on a whim. We've already been through hell together-that kind of bond won't just disappear. I won't let it disappear. We like you… no… I like you. A lot, Marquis." She raises an eyebrow at him. "A-as a friend." There's a short pause, during which Hideo lowers his head for a moment, hardens his resolve, then looks back up into her face. "I'm going to be a better person, Marquis. Not just for myself, but for you, alright?"

"Hehe…" Marquis quietly giggles some more. "Hidi boy, you're really not as bad as you think you are."

"But I…"

"No, shut it, Hidi. My turn to give a speech." Hideo lips curl slightly downward into a frown upon being told to 'shut it', causing Marquis to get a bit worried that she may have screwed up again, so she shifts towards him and puts a hand on his arm. "N-no, sorry, I uh… probably a bad way to start it, but I wanna say sorry, too." Hearing this, Hideo's frown begins to melt away. "I'm sorry I was disrespectful. I thought I was being funny, and I was hoping you'd find it funny too, but… I'm sorry. I guess, like, looking back on it, I was trying to do funny things to make you like me more, but it'd only piss you off, so I'd try to do more funny things, and, well… I'm sorry, I- ah!" She lets out a yelp as Hideo's hand rests on top of the one she had against his arm.

"You're fine-I forgive you," Hideo cuts in with a slight grin.

Marquis smiles back at him. "I forgive you too, Hidi boy. For the second banana thing, but like I started to say before losing track, you're not as bad as you say. You're a super nice guy, and, like, the glue holding MIFAS together. Without you to mellow the tension and all, I think Biff and I'd have probably already lost our marbles."

"The glue?"

"You're way different from the Hideo I first saw come into the Dreamlands who threw a hissy fit when things got bad."

"W-well, wait, hold on…"

"And you're one of my two favorite boys, so as far as I'm concerned, you're already a great person. Good job, Hidi." Marquis cocks her head slightly and closes her eyes as she gives her friendliest smile, her usual coyness restored in great measure.

The two hold their position for a few moments, simply basking in their re-established connection. Eventually, Hideo pulls her hand off him, clasps his around it, and pulls her in for a bro-hug in the same manner that he and Biff have demonstrated in the past. "Thanks, Marquis," He mutters into her ear, squeezing her ever so slightly harder.

Marquis turns her head to him and responds with a short, "No problem, Hidi boy."

"AHA!" Booms The Host, causing Hideo and Marquis to both practically jump out of their seats. They hadn't noticed until now, but during their entire final exchange, the studio had, for once, fallen completely silent. That is, until The Host spoke and riled up the crowd of Shadows. "I knew we could Rekindle That Flame! Look at these two lovebirds!"

Feeling significantly more sober now that his and Marquis' differences have been put behind them, Hideo begins to question The Host's choice of language. "But, wait, we're not-"

"And you know what that means! With their love rekindled, and their bond as strong as ever, it's time for the big kiss!" The crowd goes absolutely wild, the individual hand-shaped Shadows bouncing off of each other over and over again.

Biff leans forward in his seat. Previously while recounting the story, Hideo couldn't make out his comrade's face amid the shadowy dining room, but as Biff brings himself closer, a deep set scowl can be clearly seen arcing across his face.

Miho simply raises an eyebrow as she finishes her sip of tea, slowly bringing the teacup back to its plate and adjusting her sitting position. There's a small moment of silence before she gestures to Marquis to continue.

"Go on," They both say.

Marquis makes a choking noise as Hideo, who had already started talking, can't help but blurt out, "The big WHAT?"

The Host keeps his back to the duo, facing the overwhelmingly rowdy crowd. "It's tradition, after all!" He calls, his tone becoming increasingly menacing, more so with the distortion characteristic of Shadows. "The best part of the show! The big buildup! The climax!" Ever so gradually, The Host pivots on a heel and returns his attention to Hideo and Marquis. "You wouldn't want to disappoint the audience, would you? It makes for bad television… And when the show goes downhill… they start to get angry..." At this point, the Shadows have abandoned their orderly rows and have begun roaming around clapping into each other in a terrifying fervor.

With the audience showing no signs of stopping their escalating insanity, Hideo attempts to scoot backward in his seat, making no progress as he hits the headboard of the futon. "We…"

"...We don't have our Personas…" Marquis mumbles, having remained frozen up until now. Her words draw Hideo's attention, and as she sees him look up out of the corner of her eye, she, too, turns to him, her face palid and devoid of color. "I don't think we have any choice…"

Hideo tries to back further away, but once again, he finds the headboard blocking his retreat. "W-well, let's think about this, I…" As he starts to come up with some way to protest, Hideo trails off, dread overcoming him as he sees the audience of hand Shadows continuing their frenzied dance, only now a few have broken off from the mass and are crawling their way toward the stage, using their thick fingers to slowly lurch forward. Looking for another way out, his eyes dart to the sides of the stage, but to his chagrin, emerging from the darkness beyond the flashy show lights are more Shadows. Not hand Shadows, but rather the motley assortment of beings typical of the Dreamlands-evidently they're acting as bodyguards here. "...I…" Hideo has no more protests to offer, and as he realizes that Marquis is, in fact, right, he tightens his fingers into a fist to try and quench the fact that his hands have begun shaking uncontrollably. "You… uh…"

Marquis shifts herself closer to Hideo in her kneeling position, beginning to quake as well. "L-let's give the people wh-what they want…" The gruffness she tries to maintain in her voice has entirely given way to her natural soft, high pitched tone, albeit with a bit of shakiness from her quivering. "P-pucker up, Hidi boy." She shifts a bit closer, gradually moving her face towards Hideo despite it taking all of her willpower not to instinctively look away in shame. In an attempt to steel herself, she closes her eyes and goes in blind.

Hideo's expression is similar to a deer in headlights-utterly frozen-at least up until Marquis is only a handful of centimeters away. Just like the metaphorical deer in headlights, the absurdity of Hideo's situation hits him with the force of a truck as he takes a second to glance about the cacophony of noise and movement then back to Marquis. That, too, hits him like a truck as he suddenly realizes how, considering her rather pleasant features, her tightly closed eyes, and her small, slightly shaking lips, she is seriously cute. "Damn it all," Hideo growls, closing his own eyes and diving right in, finding a perfect impact as he lightly grabs Marquis by the shoulder.

She flinches upon both instances of contact, and as the two of them feel their hearts leap into their throats, the whole 'eyes closed' thing falls apart, and there's a short standoff as they both-wide-eyed-stare directly at each other, not even a centimeter of space between. To end this staring contest, Hideo places his free hand on the underside of Marquis' head and they return to keeping their eyes closed, mostly out of fear of the other seeing just how red they are.

The roar of the audience doesn't even register for either Hideo or Marquis. After all, the only thing they can think about is how oddly soft the other feels. And warm. But after a few moments of the two remaining frozen like this, they both slowly pull away, and a moment of hesitation passes as neither is sure what to do or say besides simply basking in the fading rush of excitement.

The Host's rolling deep voice cuts into their moment, albeit with none of the menace from only a few moments ago. "Well, you're free to go. Thanks for coming on the show."

Both Hideo and Marquis turn in response to his astonishingly calm voice, and they instantly notice the fact that the TV studio they're in has become utterly barren-with no signs of any Shadows besides The Host.

"You…" Hideo starts, his eyes scanning the once-packed audience.

"They've all taken their leave. The exit's just past stage right," The Host nods towards the darkness off towards the right side of the studio. "The people're only ever interested in the most exciting part, you see. The big kiss!" With the last statement, he mockingly resumes his booming stage voice and waves his right arm.

Marquis can't think of anything to say for a few moments as an awkward silence passes through the room, but eventually she comes up with the question that had been hanging in the air. "So… we can just go? You're not going to… kill us after the whole public humiliation and uh…" She glances hastily to Hideo, her eyes flitting down to his lips for only an instant. "...Yeah?"

"Kill you?" The Host muses with a chuckle. "No, I'm actually trying to help with your relationship-that's what I do. And this wasn't actually broadcast to your world or anything. This was all purely for the Shadows' entertainment."

Another moment of silence passes as the cogs in our heroes' brains whir, trying to put this absurd situation together. "What… why do you care about our uh… 'relationship'?" Hideo asks, speaking extra deliberately. "And why do Shadows care about 'entertainment'?"

The Host gives a throaty chuckle and adjusts his tuxedo. "Well, first, of course Shadows care to be entertained-they're born from humans, right?" Hideo considers this explanation for a moment, then nods-it makes enough sense. "And it's easier to explain why I care if I tell you what I am. You see, I am a collective Shadow born from the troubled couples of Mata."

"Troubled couples?" Hideo asks.

"More specifically, of those who have begun to resent their significant other for whatever reason, but still care for them-enough that they do not wish their relationship to end."

Marquis cocks her head. "That sounds like a very specific idea to be the Shadow of."

"It's more common than you'd think," The Host responds without missing a beat. "You see, the hollow hopes, dreams, and fears of these couples created me. They dream of a better future for their relationship, one where whatever wedge that has come between them no longer exists, but they lack the will to face it head on. They lack the will to fight. They're hopeless... in the most literal sense of the word."

Hideo puts his hand to his temple as he desperately tries to figure out what this Shadow's motives are. "So… if that's the case, why are you running some reality TV show for Shadows to watch?"

"This common hopeless desire for an outside influence to provide an easy solution manifested here in the Dreamlands as a television program that solved their problem for them. And it created me, The Host, as their collective Shadow. I took to… reconciling people's Shadows here in the Dreamlands. I'd have them come on the show and talk it out, and most of the time they left happy."

"Most of the time?" Hideo asks, his lips pursing.

The Host shrugs. "They aren't always willing to settle on common ground, despite how much their real world counterpart may want it. Shadows are awfully fickle as I'm sure you know." With that last line, The Host's pitch-black lips part into a wide smile, his eerily human, glowing yellow eyes flitting towards Marquis.

"H-hey! Wha-" Marquis starts to protest before The Host's deep rumble cuts her off.

"Before you ask, no, I don't know what you are. The yellow eye should be a giveaway, but I don't get the same…" The Host pauses, deliberating as to what word he should use. "...feeling from you as I get from Shadows."

"Feeling?" Hideo pipes in, personally discontent with the exquisitely vague descriptor.

"Shadows have a sort of palpable aura to them, though if you're from the other world, Hideo, I doubt you can quite understand it."

When Hideo looks to Marquis for some sort of elaboration on this idea of invisible auras, she just purses her lips and pouts. Seeing that she's a bit busy feeling sorry for herself, Hideo continues his quest to clear up all the inconsistencies. "We've… had some run ins with this King Shadow guy before. Do you know him?"

"Regrettably," The Host states with a brief nod.

"Why are you so much more… uh…"

"Civil?"

"Yeah, civil. You were acting pretty Shadow-esque earlier, but now you're just-"

Deciding Hideo needed her aid in coming up with another word, Marquis gives her two cents. "Chill!"

"Y-yeah, uh… chill." Hideo glances back to Marquis. "I thought you were pouting."

"I'm done," She asserts with a chirp.

"If I had to guess," The Host booms, cutting into their aside. "It's a matter of upbringing. That… King has his adoring subjects to bow down and stoke his ego. And the concentration of the Shadows that gave birth to him make him much, much more powerful than one such as myself who was born of more of a… widespread concept than anything."

Hideo's brow knits as he puts a hand to his temple. "That… almost makes sense, I- wait! Hold on! Damnit!" His expression tightens even further as he remembers the most important question. "I almost forgot-why the hell did you make us kiss? And why did you even bring us on your show? We may have been… well… troubled, but we weren't a troubled 'couple' like you said." He puts heavy emphasis on 'couple', nearly spitting the word out.

"No, but you are…" The Host's unsettling smile stretches back out once more as he unfurls an arm and holds it towards Hideo and Marquis in a gesture similar to the one he demonstrated often during the show. "...a couple _of friends_."

There's a moment of heavy silence as Hideo and Marquis stare dumbfounded up at the oversized figure of The Host.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Marquis states.

Hideo nods, his lips pressed tightly together. "For once, I agree with her."

The Host merely shrugs in response, his smile fading as he pulls back his arm. "Eh, well, I was being serious when I said the Shadows would be irate if they didn't get their pulse-pounding climax."

"Can you use a different word, please?" Hideo pipes in, feeling ever so slightly meek.

The Host gives no sign of noticing as he continues. "It was safer for all of us that you just went and did it, and you two seemed eager enough-you got right to it."

At the same time, Hideo and Marquis go bright red and start to stammer out a protest. "Th-that-"

"And anyways," The Host interrupts, a faint grin returning to his pitch-black face. "I'd say the show was successful in regards to your relationship, so there's no problem."

"I…" Catching Marquis' squirming out of the corner of his eye, Hideo can't help but steal a glance at her before continuing his thought. "...can't argue with that. Hey, Marquis?"

The meek expression on her face vanishes as she defaults to normal peppiness. "Eh?"

"We're all good now, right?"

Marquis sticks her right arm out and gives a big thumbs up. "Of course, Hidi. I got everything off my chest, you got everything off your chest, you cried-"

"Wh-what? You were the one cr-"

"-and we figured everything out together. So yeah. All good."

A bit stiffly, Hideo turns back to The Host and scratches at the back of his neck. "Uh… I guess I ought to say thanks… man?" Hideo's not really sure how genders work on a Shadow, but since The Host is shaped like a guy, he decides to go with that.

"My pleasure," The Host booms, his audience-demanding tone a bit inappropriate for such a small conversation, but regardless, his yellow eyes turn up, clearly pleased. "And who knows, perhaps we'll meet again. Now, it's getting late; I'd say you two ought to make your way back to your world. Nightfall is about the time when the Dreamlands get rather… dangerous."

"Awesome," Hideo grumbles. "And I thought it was fun enough during the day. Uh… the exit is…?" Looking between both sides of the stage, Hideo stands and starts to waffle back and forth, clearly looking forward to escaping.

"Stage right," The Host bellows, pulling both hands behind his back, the contented smile remaining on his face. "Take care, you two. Don't get into anymore trouble."

"We will certainly not try!" Marquis cheers, hopstepping next to Hideo and offering her elbow for him to walk arm-in-arm with her.

Hideo sighs and shakes his head, only barely allowing a faint grin to slip through his attempt at a poker face. As he strides away from Marquis and towards the darkness of backstage, he throws up a hand in a short wave and calls, "Thanks again!" over his shoulder.

"Wait for me, Hidi!" Marquis yelps after a moment of pouting when Hideo didn't lock arms. In one swift movement, she lunges forward and starts walking in line with her compadre. In another swift movement, Marquis pivots on a heel, turning back to their odd benefactor and waving, calling out a chipper, "Thanks again, Mr. The Host!" Before the two step into darkness and out of sight.

"Wow…" Hideo eventually mutters.

The two stand back before the colossal Celephais, its black stone structure ascending far into the sky, way beyond anything they can see. Despite its impressive size, Hideo and Marquis aren't currently fixated on the spire. Instead, the surreal landscape of the surrounding valley has commanded their attention once more. Where it had, during the day, appeared deeply unsettling as the harsh sun overhead brought out the full extent of the contrasting colors, the glow of the early-evening's setting sun has a directly opposite effect. The orange light being scattered across the gentle lavender-colored ocean and spread to every inch of the valley seemingly ties together the odd ends of the Dreamlands, refracting off the glassy ground and somehow casting a more intensely surreal sensation upon the viewer.

"Wow's a good way of putting it…" Marquis responds after a moment.

Hearing her voice, Hideo tears his view away from the valley and to his friend, taking a second to think of how funny she looks when she's so intensely fixated on the landscape. Eventually Marquis notices Hideo's stare and makes eye contact, furrowing her brow. "Wh-why're you looking at me? Hidi, you creep."

"It's nothing," Hideo calmly responds, waving his hand. "I was just thinking of how weird you look."

"Well, ok, Hidiot, if you wanna fight, we can fight. Heh, PERS-" Marquis takes a step back and starts to thrust her shield arm into the air when Hideo interrupts hastily.

"N-no, I was kidding, please don't!"

"I know," She chirps, dropping both arms to her side. "But now you know not to mess with me. And now I know you're afraid. Also I want to test if this thing still works. PERSONA!" Marquis uses her right hand to throw her left up, causing the sound of shattering glass to ring out and her Persona to manifest next to her. "Figured as much," She mumbles, taking a long look at Atlach-Nacha before mentally willing it to disappear.

Hideo can't help but chuckle at her odd response, rubbing his jaw with his hand as he turns back to the valley. "But seriously... I feel like a weight's been lifted off of me."

"Yeh," Marquis agrees, turning as well to look towards the sunset. "Boy, am I glad that's all done."

"Yeh," Hideo echoes. "Wait, if the sun's setting, then it must be getting late, huh…? Damn… how long were we out for?"

Something clicks in Marquis' mind and she jumps in place as she pivots once more to Hideo. "Aw, wait, I promised this wouldn't take long. Crap… you wanted to spend today with your family and… aw, I'm sorry, Hidi, I-"

Hideo cuts into her blathering. "I-It's fine, it's fine. I can't really blame you, considering. And anyways, I'm glad it turned out this way." A gentle smile forms on his face. "I'm feeling a lot better about tomorrow. I think we've got this King dead to rights." With his rather bold assertion, the two return to gazing at the landscape before Hideo eventually speaks up again. "You know, I realized something."

"What's that, Hidi boy?"

"The Host was right: we were running away from our problems by refusing to confront each other. We refused to fight our, well, hopelessness, and look where it got us." Hideo's use of 'fight our hopelessness', the term all of their Shadows echoed, causes Marquis to flinch and look up at him. "Heh… the two of us've still got a long way to go, but… I'm glad I've got you by my side, Marquis. Thanks… for everything."

Marquis grins for a moment as she looks up at her awkwardly smiling comrade before her expression turns slightly frustrated. "Hidi, lean down."

"What?"

"Lean down. I'm too short."

Hideo chuckles as he does so, bracing his hands on his knees. "What's up?"

With a rather brutish grip, Marquis palms the right side of Hideo's head to hold it still as she dexterously dives in for a momentary peck on the cheek. "There. That's my 'thank you, Hidiot' kiss. Don't waste it." She mumbles that last line while pulling away, her face going a very dull shade of red.

Believe it or not, Hideo's face, too, goes red. "Geez, alright, uh… that's the last time we're kissing, alright?"

"Deal," Marquis responds instantly, letting out the breath she was holding.

"And can we swear to never, ever speak of today as long as we live."

"Double deal. I'm glad this happened and all, but if anyone ever found out about that kiss, I think I'd probably die on the spot of embarrassment."

"And then we killed the King and had a party at your house and finally I decided to tell you everything about what happened. The end." Marquis puts huge emphasis on 'the end', and as though she'd just finished running a marathon, she collapses prone onto Miho's couch.

Tea long empty, Miho leans back into her seat and bridges her fingers. "Well, that was a rollercoaster of emotions. I'm… not sure what to make of it, honestly. You guys are just… fine after all that?"

"Yup, like I said: we're perfect bros now." A blithe smile pulls its way onto Marquis' face as she is incapable of understanding how exactly Miho finds the situation to be so awkward.

"I mean… alright… heh…" For someone who tends to know the perfect thing to say to anyone at anytime, it's new territory for Miho to be at a loss for words. "You… really kissed him, just like that?"

"Well, considering it was that or die, yeah."

"Hmph, you say that, but by the sound of it, you two didn't waste any time locking lips." An impish smile drags its way across Miho's mouth. "You and your 'bro' certainly got busy."

"A-aw shut it, Miho!" Marquis starts to blush ever so slightly. "Nah, Hidi and I are not interested in each other. Nosiree, no Hidi for me." She puts emphasis on each of the 'ee' syllables.

"Ok, ok," Miho concedes raising both hands in surrender.

"There. That's the whole story. Are you happy, Bi- wh-whoa, why are you glaring like that?"

Despite being called out for it, Biff refuses to lower his intense glowering. "You… kissed her, and just LEFT IT THERE?"

"B-Biff, shh, you'll wake my parents up."

Biff throws both of his hands into the air in exasperation. "You're a disappointment to MIFAS you milquetoast bastard."

"Milquetoast?" Hideo cocks his head. "I think that's the most advanced word I've ever heard you use."

"Shut it, Hidiot." With another huff, Biff continues his denunciation. "What kind of man full on, lip to lip contact, KISSES a girl, sees it all go well, then decides 'oh, haha, we're good buddies now, buddy haha.'" To prove his point, Biff says that last part in a low, bitingly sarcastic voice.

"W-well, geez, we just-"

"You lose your balls, Hideo?"

"Wh-what?"

"Your balls? Are they gone? Because it sure looks that way."

Hideo raises his hands defensively. "You- I- well, just…" And with one final huff, Hideo collapses on his dining room table, thoroughly defeated after the long recounting and Biff's relentless bullying.


End file.
